“The staff member told me, ‘If it’s Franco’s he wants, its’ Franco’s he’s having!’ I’ll never forget the kindness strangers have shown us.”
Devon Ledbetter
‘WHY of all people, was the nicest made to suffer? I was angry at the world.’: Sister honors brother battling Glioblastoma, thanks community for acts of kindness
‘Their birth story was both beautiful and a parent’s worst nightmare.’: Woman loses baby to Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, surviving son diagnosed with autism
“I felt something in my new mama heart I couldn’t explain. It didn’t take long for me to start seeing the writing on the wall. But Jack was still our beautiful, kind, intelligent little boy he’d always been.”
‘We need to teach kids perfect moms DON’T exist.’: Woman talks ‘roller coaster ride’ of motherhood, ‘We’re in this together’
“Sometimes I throw a popsicle at my 2-year-old at 9 in the morning to reserve my sanity for a few more hours.”
‘Shhhh, just keep walking.’ You taught her NOT to see my son.’: Special needs mom urges ‘ask the questions’
“In ONE sentence, you taught your daughter to ignore someone with a disability; to ignore someone who is different.”
‘There’s no wrong way to celebrate or mourn your loved one. There’s no rulebook for this.’: Widow honors husband on anniversary of his passing, ‘Do what feels good for YOU’
“Everything I’ve done and figured out in the wake of his death has been a first-hand, trial and error experience. This year, we did things a little differently.”
‘Mom, I don’t feel like a boy OR a girl.’ I realized they only knew life as ‘boy’ or ‘girl.’: Mom of non-binary child says ‘they will ALWAYS come first’
“I always thought of myself as an ‘ally,’ but here was a moment, this was my child, my flesh and blood. I knew what I said next mattered more than anything in their world.”
‘Is it strange to be pregnant with someone else’s baby? The seed was planted. ‘Go meet your daddies.’: Woman ‘honored’ after navigating surrogacy journey twice
“I asked if I could see her face for a moment before they took her. We heard her crying and they brought over this new, perfect baby. I kissed her cheek, welcomed her to the world and told her to go meet her daddies.”
‘My whole life turned upside down. I’ve experienced what ‘in sickness and in health’ TRULY means.’: Mom diagnosed with rare Tarlov Cysts, chronic illness, ‘I learned what sacrificial love is’
“My husband became my full time caretaker, but he also upped his duties as my best friend, entertainer, hope dealer and truth speaker. He became my hands and feet, all of it.”
‘We carry a heavy load. Our bags and purses are full. What’s even harder is going to bed and unloading our shoulders.’: Special needs mom says ‘there are plenty of beautiful extras we gladly carry’
“Every morning, I walk to our son’s room to pick up his 40-pound body and carry him downstairs. With each step, I can feel it. As I make my way down the stairs, I start carrying more than just him. I carry gratitude.”
‘All of the sudden, I heard a gunshot and fell to the ground. ‘I can’t feel my legs.’ I lifted my shirt to see a hole in my chest.’: Paraplegic advocates for accessibility, ‘It’s made me who I am’
“It was back to square one. I had to learn to sit up, roll over in bed, get dressed. The one single aggravating moment I remember well was trying to put on my socks, which felt like an impossible feat. It literally took over an hour. It was never easy.”
