• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Mission & Core Values
    • Leadership
    • Board of Directors
    • Care Ambassador
    • Newsroom
    • Careers
    • Annual Report
  • Our Care
    • Nursing Care
    • Grief Support
    • Volunteer Programs
    • Pharmacy Residency Program
    • We Honor Veterans Program
    • Locations
  • Resources
    • Educational Booklets
    • Educational Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Advance Directives
  • What is Hospice?
    • Hospice FAQ’s
    • Testimonials
    • Are You a Caregiver?
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Memorial Gifts
    • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • Testimonials
  • Referrals
  • Donate

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Premiere Local Hospice Provider

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Mission & Core Values
    • Leadership
    • Board of Directors
    • Care Ambassador
    • Newsroom
    • Careers
    • Annual Report
  • Our Care
    • Nursing Care
    • Grief Support
    • Volunteer Programs
    • Pharmacy Residency Program
    • We Honor Veterans Program
    • Locations
  • Resources
    • Educational Booklets
    • Educational Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Advance Directives
  • What is Hospice?
    • Hospice FAQ’s
    • Testimonials
    • Are You a Caregiver?
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Memorial Gifts
    • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
Home | Before I Die Wall

Before I Die Wall

Start the Conversation About YOUR End-of-Life Wishes

  • We hope to evoke conversations without fear
  • Highlight what's important TODAY
  • Feature the importance of planning for a peaceful end-of-life journey
  • Offer conversation starters before it is needed, in a comfortable environment, and among family/friends
  • Provide education with a unique and positive spotlight on your wishes

About the “Before I die…” Wall

A global public art project that invites people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in a public place.
IMG_2506

Sign the Wall

  • (not required, leave blank if you don't want your name to appear on the chalkboard)
  • Please enter your email if you would like to sign up for our once monthly email publication.
  • By clicking submit you agree to pubicly display your submission and any information you posted on the internet, this website, and any related social media sites. Your post will be reviewed for approval. If approved, it will be posted within 48 hours. Thank you for joining he conversation about end-of-life care and supporting Hospice of Southern Illinois.
Before I Die I Want To...
Fall in Love with someone who truly cares
- Rose, Hawaii
Before I Die I Want To...
fill the back of a truck with pillows and camp underneath the stars.
- Shania, Arizona
Before I Die I Want To...
Travel the world and live in a foreign country for a year
- Mary, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
feel worthy of playing my harp in public
- l, California
Before I Die I Want To...
be free of all the struggles
- b, Florida
Before I Die I Want To...
Be in Busch Stadium when the Cardinals win the World Series
- Kate, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Live with tranquility in my heart & soul
- Sam, Wisconsin
Before I Die I Want To...
Feel that daughter loves me as I am.
- Stella, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Be with my Loml
- Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Learn to live my life in God’s word
- Tom K, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit Europe
- Joe, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my grandson graduate from college, get married and have me a great grandbaby.
- Darlene, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
To have visited all 50 states and the UK
- Diane, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Become a grandpa
- Don, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See more of the world.
- Lana, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
compile favorite family recipes and stories into a cook book to give to my children/grandchildren
- Phyllis, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See all my family saved
- Amber, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Have a family and watch them grow
- Jacqueline, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my great-grandchildren
- Terri, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my son get married and have children
- Amy, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Find peace and relaxation in every day!
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit every MLB Stadium in the United States
- Amber, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Eat a Porterhouse Steak
- John, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my Niece Healthy
- Fran, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Take a cruise to Alaska
- Joyce, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Want to see my children raised and happy
- Margie, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Take a trip to Washington D.C. & New York
- Vi, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Disney World
- Pam, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Make sure my Soul is right for God
- Carlton, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Hawaii
- Tara, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
I want my family to accept me…
- Donna, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Trave to Alaska & Hawaii
- Gail, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Watch grandson play high school sports
- Earl, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Bucket list
- Pauline, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Stay healthy
- Joann, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Watch my girls get married and have kids.
- Amy, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit Australia
- Jane, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Watch my children grow old
- Tara, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go Sky diving
- Hoi, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Die before my children
- Chris, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit the Titanic sight
- Cindy, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit Paris and the Eiffel Tower
- Latika, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit Fiji for a Month
- Jessica, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go Marlin Fishing
- Dylan, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Travel out of the country
- Linda, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Travel to Martinique
- Tasha, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Travel the world
- Joann, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my youngest graduate from nursing school
- MaryAnn, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Be rich
- Marilyn, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Niagra Falls
- LaShonda, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Meet Nascar Jimmy Johnson
- Jean, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Have Everyone Love each other
- Pat, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
be able to swim the length of the YMCA pool again
- Raymond, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See World Peace
- Lela, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See Jesus in person
- Jeff, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Meet Johnny Depp
- Joan, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
see how many great great great grand children I will have
- Clara, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
take my father to Sicily to meet his ancestors
- John, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Finish all my genealogy research
- Sandy, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go on a cruise
- Fern, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Have a family reunion
- Fred, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Hawaii
- Pat, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Travel to Texas
- Goldie, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Cruise to Alaska
- Mary, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to the beach and see the ocean
- Alberta, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my grandchildren graduate from college
- Walter, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Germany and see where my ancestors are fro.
- Arnold, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Win the Lottery
- Rayma, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Go to Germany and Czechoslovakia
- Gary, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
See my grandkids get married
- Coletta, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
learn to live in the moment
- Christine, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
I want to jump out of an Airplane!
- Kim, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Visit every MLB baseball stadium
- Lisa, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
get my passport and travel the world!
- Leigh, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
Sing back up for a band!!!
- Mary, Illinois
Before I Die I Want To...
visit Rome!
- Kellen, Illinois

Hospice of Southern Illinois is joining the movement and conversation about the “Before I die…” wall. Candy Chang made the first wall in 2011 in New Orleans. We hope our participation bringing our portable walls to health fairs and community events will encourage people to start a healthcare conversation before it is needed; spread awareness that hospice is about how you live; and make it easier to talk about hard topics, like death. We debuted our first portable wall at an employee health fair. From this, we saw employees engaging with their peers and other healthcare professionals. They were sharing life stories, talking about future goals and dreams, and starting their healthcare conversation! This inspired our virtual “Before I die…” wall here on our website. 

Please take the time to fill out the form! We look forward to your post. Following your post, please learn more about your advance directive and starting the conversation about end-of-life decisions. Free resources can be found on the community page of our website, click here. Candy has made the project accessible for any community to use. So please take the project to your community.

Over 5,000 walls have been created in seventy-eight countries and thirty-five languages. Each wall is a tribute to living an examined life.

“Before I die…” walls have been made all over the world. She also has a book! Please tag @beforeidiewall on social media, use #beforeidiewall or visit https://beforeidieproject.com/. 

Candy Chang’s Story:

After losing someone she loved and experiencing deep depression, artist Candy Chang created an interactive wall on an abandoned house in her neighborhood to create an anonymous place to help restore perspective and share intimately with neighbors while remaining an introvert. After receiving permission, she painted the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence, “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space.

It was all an experiment and she didn’t know what to expect. By the next day, the wall was full of responses and it kept growing: Before I die I want to… sing for millions, plant a tree, hold her one more time, straddle the International Date Line, see my daughter graduate, eat more everything, abandon all insecurities, be completely myself…  She understood her neighbors in new and enlightening ways, and the wall reminded her that she’s not alone as she tries to make sense of her life.

We also provide speaking engagements on a variety of healthcare topics at no cost to you or your organization. Visit our website for more information, www.hospice.org. We are your resource for end-of-life care. There comes a time… to start the conversation.

Before I die wall conversation starter at a health fair with Christine Litteken and Kim Oplet.

Call Hospice of Southern Illinois to learn more about end-of-life care and hospice services, 800-233-1708. Request a chat,

Get Help Now
Educational Resources
Find Your
Nearest Location

Helpful Links

  • Request More Information
  • Why Choose Us?
  • Community Events
  • Our Mission
  • Photo Gallery

About Us Links

  • Leadership
  • Board of Directors
  • Photo Gallery
  • Newsroom
  • Careers

Company Links

  • Make a Referral
  • Make a Donation
  • Become a Volunteer
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Non-Profit 501(c)(3)
  • Non-Discrimination in Health Programs and Activities

Service Area Resources

  • Hospitals
  • Contracted Long Term Care Facilities
  • Durable Medical Equipment Companies
  • Health Departments
  • Age Smart Community Resources
  • Egyptian Area Agency on Aging
  • Shawnee Alliance for Seniors
  • Bereavement Support Group List

Hospice Resources

  • National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
  • Hospice Facts & FAQs
  • Family Caregiver Alliance
  • American Hospice Foundation
  • Hospice Foundation of America
  • Illinois State Medical Society
  • We Honor Veterans
  • Making the Move to Assisted Living
  • Financial Resources for Seniors
  • Veterans Benefits for Seniors

Contact Us

Administrative Services

618-235-1703
Send Email

Belleville Location

618-222-5905
Send Email

Marion Location

618-997-3030
Send Email

Copyright © 2021 Hospice of Southern Illinois · All Rights Reserved.