Posts by: Colin Balfe

Colin Balfe is the Founder and Chief Content Officer of Love What Matters. Colin was inspired to start Love What Matters after his mother passed from Ovarian cancer. Through his grieving process, he saw the need to connect a like minded community around a deeply personal storytelling platform. He's proudest of the communities within LWM, strangers united by powerful and impactful experiences, underserved people connecting around mutual challenges, hopes and dreams. These communities include Adoption, Mental Health, Infertility, Addiction, Grief, Special Needs Parenting, LGBTQ+ and many more.

I Was Nervous To Start A Family, Then I Found Out I Was Pregnant With Triplets

“She continued to scan my belly and remained rather quiet. I had no idea what to expect during an ultrasound but I thought that was kind of odd. Jokingly I asked, ‘There isn’t twins in there, right?’ She looked over at me and smiled. My heart dropped and I sat up quickly.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Dec 04, 2019

‘I received the two-minute call that ended our marriage, I collapsed. I felt the pain of absolute bewilderment.’: Single father of three recounts divorce, overcoming pain

“I collapsed. I wept before our 3 children. Rebuilding myself like a child, I called my mother in the evening. I told her I was confused and utterly broken. Aged 24, I needed her comfort again. ‘Your father and I love you no matter what happens,’ she said, and my fitful breath slowed. Being a human male, I’m very good at pretending I have things under control. It took a desperate sense of weakness, therefore, to call her.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Dec 04, 2019

‘Not all women want to have kids, or buy a house and ‘settle down.’: Woman ditches job, starts solo travel movement

“I learned about their stories and was surprised to find that even though every woman had a different story, there existed a common thread that strung them together: Women who solo travel don’t want to live the way others expect them to live.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Dec 02, 2019

‘You don’t need to have a partner to have a baby. Then I got the news no one wants to hear, this pregnancy isn’t viable.’: Woman describes untraditional journey to single parenthood

“I found an unexpected emotion creeping in, sadness. Sadness that I was not going to be having a baby with a partner. It’s a weird feeling to be celebrating a dream come true while also mourning the loss of another.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Dec 02, 2019

‘Sis, I love you and I’m so sorry.’: Sister details drug abuse of twin brother, begs addicts and family to ‘TALK. Be a friend, it’s not too late, recovery is worth it’

‘Mom, what’s wrong with my uncle?’ He moved on to trying new, stronger drugs. My twin brother died that day.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Nov 25, 2019

‘I found chewing tobacco stuffed in a couch cushion, bottles of mouthwash, empty bottles of vodka stashed in the drop ceiling. How did I not know?’: Mom recounts 15-year-old son’s battle with alcoholism

“He was 19-years-old with acute liver failure. As the hospital elevator doors opened, the words ‘Solid Organ Transplant Unit’ were burned into my brain. How can we be here now? He is so young with so much to life to live.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Nov 25, 2019

‘I grabbed the phone and called 911. ‘He’s not breathing, my husband isn’t breathing!’: Woman recounts losing husband, blaming herself amid arguing, CPAP machine

“I hear him snoring from upstairs and think to myself ‘Crap, he pulled his mask off, I should go put it back on.’ I didn’t though because I have to fully wake him up to do so. He had sleep apnea and used a CPAP machine, pulling it off was a common occurrence. I went upstairs about 20-25 minutes later. Before I got to the room, it felt off.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Sep 24, 2019

‘You can’t be serious.’ I couldn’t breastfeed my newborn, completely covered, because it was ‘offensive.’: Mom shamed for breastfeeding at Busch Gardens

“Within a minute, a female Busch Gardens employee approached me and told me I could not breastfeed my child. Doing so would be offensive to park patrons, and I would have to move.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Aug 26, 2019

‘At 15, I became pregnant with my daughter. I had to raise a child while still growing up myself. I received hate and rumors spread.’ Teen mom beats the odds to graduate college and ‘reach success’

“Everyone recognized me by pregnant belly, rather than by my face. I dealt with dirty looks and whispers in the hallways. In college, I got pregnant with my son. It wasn’t easy. I have been in abusive relationships, been days away from planning a wedding, only to find out I was ‘only an option.’ I wanted to give up, on everything. But I was strong for my children.”

Published by Colin Balfe - Jul 19, 2019

‘I want to live!,’ I was screaming. The cops were on their way. I was trying to get out of the bathroom, trying to get my boyfriend off me, trying to hide in the tub.’: Single mom’s empowering story of surviving domestic abuse with infant daughter

“I had 3 months to figure out my escape. I stopped fighting back with my daughter’s father and kept calm. He was losing control, and it drove him crazy. ‘You’re not gonna take her from me,’ he’d say. I’d wake up to him pacing the kitchen talking to himself. I stayed quiet and texted a friend who said, ‘Wait 10 minutes, and then you call the cops. He could be lying.’”

Published by Colin Balfe - Jul 17, 2019