The Purple Elephant
Signs, Promises, and the Ways Love Stays With Us
What Was Your Purple Elephant?
After someone we love dies, certain moments feel different.
A number keeps appearing. A light turns on. A song begins playing at the right moment. A familiar scent fills the room. An animal arrives. A dream feels more like a visit. A stranger says the exact words we needed to hear.
The moment might mean nothing to anyone else.
To you, it means everything.
The Purple Elephant is a collection of personal stories about signs, promises, spiritual connections, and the ways people continue to experience the presence of someone they love after death.
The book will also include letters and reflections from people facing terminal illness. These contributors will have space to share what they believe happens next, what they hope the afterlife will be like, and how they hope to remain connected to the people they love.
No one must prove what happened.
No one must defend what they believe.
We are creating a safe place for people to say: “This happened to me, and this is what it meant.”
Two Ways to Contribute
Share a Story About a Sign
This section is for people who have lost someone they love and experienced a moment that felt like a message, visit, answer, or sign.
Your story might involve:
- A number with personal meaning
- A song that played at the right moment
- A light that turned on, flickered, or behaved differently
- A cardinal, butterfly, dragonfly, hawk, elephant, or other animal
- A flower, coin, feather, shamrock, or meaningful object
- A dream that felt unusually vivid or peaceful
- A familiar scent
- A voice, thought, or feeling that arrived unexpectedly
- Something appearing after you asked for a specific sign
- A child mentioning someone they never knew
- A phrase spoken by a stranger
- A photograph, message, or memory appearing when you needed it
- A coincidence that felt too personal to dismiss
- A repeated experience that continues to connect you with someone
Your story does not need to convince anyone.
Tell us what happened, who you lost, and why the experience mattered to you.
Write a Letter for the People You Love
This section is for people facing an advanced or terminal diagnosis who want to leave a personal message for those they love.
You might write about:
- What you believe happens after death
- What you hope the afterlife feels like
- Who you hope will be waiting for you
- The sign you hope to send
- How your loved ones will know the sign is from you
- A number, song, animal, flower, color, or place with special meaning
- What you want your family to do when they notice your sign
- What you want them to remember on their hardest days
- What you never want them to feel guilty about
- Permission to laugh, celebrate, travel, love, and keep living
- The stories about your life that should never be forgotten
- What you hope will live through the people you leave behind
- The love you want them to carry forward
Begin with this question:
“If I find a way to reach you, how will you know it is me?”
Who May Submit?
We welcome submissions from:
The book welcomes different faiths, beliefs, and interpretations.
Some contributors will describe these moments as signs from heaven. Some will describe them as spiritual connections. Some will see the experience as faith, memory, love, coincidence, or something they do not know how to explain.
Your story belongs to you.
What Should I Write About?
Write as though you are telling the story to someone who will understand. Include the details that made the experience personal.
You might explain:
End your story by answering:
“What did this mean to me?”
How Do I Share My Story?
Choose the method that feels easiest for you.
Write It
Send a complete story, a letter, a few paragraphs, scattered thoughts, or answers to our writing prompts.
Say It
Record a voice memo and tell the story in your own words.
Tell It
Request a guided conversation with Islands Against Cancer. We will ask thoughtful questions and help document your experience.
You do not need perfect spelling or grammar. You do not need to know how to structure the story. You only need to share what happened and why it matters.
Our Editorial Promise
We will polish your words, but we will never take ownership of your voice.
We will not exaggerate what happened, turn your experience into something sensational, or tell readers what they must believe.
Your passage will describe your personal experience and what it meant to you. If anything feels wrong, you tell us. We will revise it.
How Long & What Happens Next?
How Long Should My Submission Be?
There is no strict length requirement.
Most completed passages will fall between 500 and 1,500 words. Shorter submissions are welcome when a few sentences hold the full meaning.
A personal letter might be longer.
Say what you need to say. We will help shape it.
What Happens After I Submit?
- Our team reviews your submission.
- We organize and polish the writing for clarity, spelling, grammar, and flow.
- We protect your meaning, personality, faith, and natural voice.
- We send the edited passage back to you.
- You review it and request any changes.
- You approve the final version before it enters the book.
Nothing will be published until you say:
“Yes, this is my story.”
You Control How Your Story Appears
You Decide.
How Would You Like to be Identified?
You Also Can Decide to Include:
Please obtain permission before submitting another living person’s name, photograph, medical information, or private experience.
Writing Prompts
Choose the questions that help you tell your story.
Finish one of these sentences:
“If I find a way, I will…”
“When you see this, I want you to…”
“Please keep living by…”
“What I hope comes next is…”
Before You Submit
Please remember:
Our Mission & Publication
Part of a Bigger Mission
The Purple Elephant will be published by Islands Against Cancer, Inc.
Proceeds from book sales will support our programs for cancer patients and caregivers.
Islands Against Cancer will also donate copies to patients, caregivers, and families who might find comfort in the stories.
Contributors will not receive payment or royalties. Their contribution becomes part of a mission-driven collection created to honor love, preserve meaningful stories, and help grieving families feel less alone.
About Publication
Every submission will receive thoughtful consideration. Submission does not guarantee publication.
Space, duplication of topics, privacy concerns, unfinished permissions, or editorial needs might affect which entries appear in the first edition.
If we wish to include your story, you will receive the edited passage and contributor agreement for review.
We will never publish your submission without your final approval and written permission.
Your Experience Matters
Grief often leaves people carrying stories they hesitate to tell.
They fear someone will laugh. They fear someone will dismiss what happened. They fear they will not have the right words.
You do not have to explain the unexplainable. Tell us what happened. Tell us who you felt near. Tell us what the moment gave you.
Your story might help another person feel understood. It might give someone permission to accept a moment that brought comfort. It might preserve a promise between two people who refuse to let death erase their love.
What was your purple elephant?
Submit Your Story or Letter
Take your time. You can save your progress and return later.
Need help submitting your story? Contact support@islandsagainstcancer.com