Hannah Sobeski's Legacy: Hannah's Hope Ministries

If you don't know the story of Hannah Sobeski, chances are if you stick around the area, someone will tell it to you. Hannah’s dream was to go to Clemson, get married and have a baby. It was not to be. However, a girl who considered herself a normal teenager of tremendous faith has left a footprint that will not be forgotten.

Hannah is one of those girls people would tell you was special. Six months into her battle with cancer, Hannah was crowned homecoming queen at Dorman High School, and even during her moment in the spotlight, she shined the light somewhere else. "Well it was a really big deal to be able to come out and get ready and have the strength to get out here tonight. God's strength has really been good through the whole day, so I give Him all the glory," she said in November 2006. It was something about her that never changed even in the eye of the storm. According to her aunt, Hope Houchins, "The day after she came off the ventilator for 19 days, she prayed a prayer: thank you God for choosing me. Of all the people you could have chosen for this journey, you chose me." Hannah never lost faith that she would recover, but remained at peace with the possibility she would not. Hannah died on November 9, 2006 never knowing the legacy she would leave behind.

"If you've ever lost anyone, you know that that's just an emptiness that's always there, but it's really hard to grieve, and spend a lot of time grieving, when you see so much good coming from it," says Houchins. Shortly after Hannah's death, her Aunt Hope was instrumental in starting Hannah's Hope Ministries which shares Hannah's story in hopes of helping others in crisis. Hannah’s mom Debbie recently completed a book, A Dove Set Free. It’s about Hannah's journey and mirrors Noah's journey in the Bible. "In the second chapter, God told Noah to build an ark. The ark for us was His word and prayer and relationship with Him,” says Debbie Sobeski.

The faith of a family also inspired pins you will see on billboards around the Upstate. They will be provided to caregivers who work with patients. "When they see it on someone's label they'll be able to make the connection to know that's a caregiver who is willing to pray from them,” says Houchins. That’s something that gave peace to Hannah's family when they couldn't be with her during treatments.

While Hannah's dad will never walk his only daughter down the aisle, Hannah's family knows her mission here on earth was complete in the 18 short years she was here. Hannah’s mom says the best advice she can offer to all of us is to always build an ark around our families to keep them safe, so that when the storms come, we are prepared for them.

Debbie Sobeski will be signing copies of her book at the grand reopening of Hannah's Hope Ministries, Sunday, January 18, 2009, 2-4 pm. It’s located at 109 Metro Drive in Spartanburg.