On September 9, 2007 Hope gets the news that her eldest and only son was killed in combat defending his country in the war against terrorism. Initially, the news of her son’s death damaged her heart and temporarily crippled a loving tight knit family, until the day she accepted the reality of the situation and began to deal with it. Expressing and converting her pain into words and actions in the form of books, plays, and humanitarian efforts in honor of her son SSG. Courtney A. Hollingworth.

Hope Hollingworth Coaxum is a native of Yonkers, N.Y. she is a wife, mother and professional, but the very foundation of her life is centered on her family. She attended Pace University and studied business. After receiving her master’s degree she took a position on Wall Street with a major investment firm. After working there for several years she decided to relocate and work for a company in Westchester, N.Y. to be closer to her husband and two younger children.
Working in Westchester gave Hope more time to focus on her family’s growth and development. Something that Wall Street wouldn’t allow her to do because of the long demanding hours and pressures to produce in Corporate America. The sacrifice that she made for her family is one that she doesn’t regret because she was still able to excel professionally; more importantly, she had the opportunity to see her family grow and blossom, which is something that no salary or position could provide.
Eventually, her son Courtney graduated from high school and decided to serve his country and go into the army; which is a decision that she was uneasy about in the beginning , then realized that it was a choice that he had made. So, as a mother and the backbone of her family she supported his decision and was behind him one hundred percent. He finally went to boot camp in Ft. Hood Texas and he came back a different person. “My son came back a man, he came back strong, confident and disciplined.” All of the qualities he always had deep within boot camp brought them out to the surface. “He was now a soldier, he was proud and I was proud of him.”
After about three years in the service 9/11 happened, and now her son was directly involved in the war on terrorism. “War changes the way people see things in life and I noticed a shift in his mentality. However, he always assured me that everything was alright, but a mother is always concerned about her offspring and I kept him in my prayers daily.”
“I would watch the news, listen to the radio and read the newspapers and see that the war was escalating and getting more dangerous. I would see the casualties of war and always be concerned about my son. I would hear about it and even see it on T.V., but one would never think that it would happen to you or a family member. In situation like this you don’t get a phone call you get a knock on the door.”
After the death of her son, Hope’s humanitarian efforts increased tenfold. She has increased her support of the men and women in the armed forces. In 2010 she became the “President of the Yonkers, New York, Gold Star Mothers” She has also become affiliated and works closely with other organizations that have shared the same platform such as “Fueled by the Fallen,” “Tower of Hope” “War-front to the Home-front, Inc.,” and “Step Into Their Boots” only to name a few.
The death of her son also activated something in her that was lying dormant, which is the ability to express herself in the form of writing. This form of healing that she uses for herself is inspirational, motivational, and educational for herself and many others. www. Books By Hope Hollingworth Coaxum To be continued…

By: Jerome Enders Contact: Jeromeenders@gmail.com www.JeromeEnders.com