1. A Denny’s Tradition
The sun rose on December 4th
with a bittersweet
feeling. For the Hennas family of Merrimack, this
day was filled with memories of their father and
husband, Jim Hennas.
In September of 2011, Jim, 46, entered Home
Health & Hospice Care’s (HHHC) Community
Hospice House. For the next three months, he and
his family would spend their last days together
making new memories and reminiscing the old.
Mackenzie Hennas, 18, shared her favorite
memory, “When my siblings and I were growing
up, my dad loved making breakfast. He was a
woodworking enthusiast so he had a cherry picker
in our yard. He would take us up in the cherry picker and have a picnic. Breakfast dates,
whether we were at home or at our favorite restaurant, Denny’s, became a family tradition.
They are some of the fondest memories I have with my dad.”
The Hennas family has overcome many obstacles, but one particular Hennas family member
took her father’s death and turned a negative experience into a positive journey.
Mackenzie is a senior at Merrimack High School and she was recently accepted into Ohio
State University where she aspires to become a Mechanical Engineer. Her work ethic has
driven her to become the President of the National Honor Society, an outstanding academic
student and she was accepted into the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School in
Concord last summer. Good Grief Coordinator, Eleanor Owen, described Mackenzie and her
experience, “Mackenzie’s grief journey has been one of pain, honesty and
determination. She strives to live her life in a way that honors her beloved dad’s belief in her.
She breathes life into the term resiliency, and I see great possibilities in her future.” One of
these great possibilities is Mackenzie’s dream to join the Navy. Mackenzie explained, “I’ve

2. been interested in joining the Navy since my eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. Since
then, I knew it was going to be a part of my future.” Mackenzie will find out in April whether
she has been awarded a naval scholarship to pursue Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps
(NROTC) in college, where she will study Mechanical Engineering.
Even with Mackenzie’s accomplishments, her journey has been anything but easy. Mackenzie
elaborated, “I’ve lived my whole life with my father being sick. Because he was in the
Community Hospice House as I was entering high school, it was a struggle to balance
spending time with him and being a new high school student.” Mackenzie’s eyes filled with
tears as she continued, “I’m a Daddy’s Girl. I always looked to him to help me with decisions.
It was like losing my best friend.”
After Jim’s death, his wife Sue Hennas was determined to create a new normal for her family.
Mackenzie described her mom as resilient as she explained, “She never ‘checks out’ or takes
a break. She’s the rock of our family.” Even though Sue was a strong role model for her kids,
Sydney, Mackenzie and Nathan, in February of 2011, they began participating in HHHC’s
Bereavement programs, Teen Topics and Good Grief. Mackenzie described her experience
with the Teen Topics program, “I had my family, I wrote in a journal and I had a personal
counselor. But being with my peers was the best tool.” Mackenzie continued, “Every
situation was relatable to mine. Our grief became a conversation, rather than a statement.”
Teen Topics is a group open to high school students grieving the death of someone
significant in their lives. The goal of this group is to put teens in contact with others
experiencing a similar loss, helping them to understand that they are not alone in their grief
experience.
The Good Grief program is for elementary and middle school children between the ages of 4
and 13 grieving the loss of a loved one. Children are encouraged to express their feelings
through art projects, group discussions and other age-appropriate activities. The program
offers bereaved children an opportunity to develop coping skills in a safe and trusting
environment.

3. Although it’s been three years, Mackenzie is still
adjusting to the loss of her father. She explained,
“He’s going to miss big moments. I constantly ask
myself, would he be proud?” Mackenzie took a
moment to catch her breath. She continued, “We
couldn’t have had a better experience at the
Community Hospice House. It was the best of a
bad situation. The staff knew us and made my
family feel comfortable.” Through a choking
voice, a laugh exuded, as Mackenzie stated, “And
the fresh cookie cart at the Community Hospice
House definitely helped!”
Mackenzie finished, “I have my days, but the best
thing I ever did was use the bereavement group
at HHHC. My advice, if you’ve lost someone, find a
safe place to share your experience and with
people who you relate to. Everything HHHC has
done for me and my family is simply amazing.”