“The car stopped and I ran to the bathroom. I was greeted by the most unwelcome guest: an amount of bright red, to this day 5 years later, makes my heart stop to remember. I was angry at the world.”
Emily Richey
‘I was billed $7,600 to end a pregnancy I desperately wanted. I didn’t know I’d have to choose.’: After miscarriages, woman starts motherhood movement, ‘I found healing’
‘His belly looks distended.’ Suddenly, he wasn’t fine. They had to run tests, but I just knew. I prayed a million prayers.’: Preemie saved by NICU nurse, ‘His personality shines’
“Things didn’t go as planned. Usually, when they call, they start by saying everything is fine. They did not say that. We had to learn how to touch him without causing him pain.”
‘The girls stood outside, waiting for me. My fat was a weakness. I called my mom, sobbing. I wouldn’t be the same.’: Bullied makeup artist on self-love journey goes viral, ‘Love yourself as is’
“School was a scary place to be. Kids called me fat. I told my mom, ‘I want to lose weight.’ I wasn’t deemed ‘Instagram-worthy. It became my weakness.”
‘Was I a mistake?’ I was terrified she didn’t love me. I kept trying to be the ‘perfect’ person.’: Korean American adoptee searches for birth mom, ‘I’m thankful she gave me life’
“My family was not ‘the norm’ and I feared being rejected. ‘Do you think about me?’ I was so scared she was angry. I felt incredibly confused, lost, and had a heavy sense of unrest.”
‘His intestines were twisted. ‘He likely won’t survive.’ He quickly added, ‘But miracles do happen.’: Miracle baby with Kabuki Syndrome defies 10% survival rate, ‘This is only the beginning’
“The medical team sat down with us, ‘We’re worried.’ They prepared us for the worst. We continued to watch Oliver gain fluid and wondered what would be.”
‘But the other children are doing well!’ I’d go anywhere for him. ‘Someone must have a solution!’: Mom loses son to heart defect, starts retreat for other child loss moms, ‘It’s our way forward’
“They wanted to do multiple surgeries. The words coming out of their mouths made me physically sick. I was left in a puddle of my own tears on the hospital bathroom floor. I told him if there was help on Mars, I’d buy a rocket ship.”
‘Dear God, please bring me a 4-year-old sister.’ Then came an email. ‘Let’s not get our hopes up.’ I wanted to protect her.’: Couple adopts 3 ‘unlikely siblings,’ ‘We are a family’
“I couldn’t shake this feeling. ‘I have this strong sense we have a child who is already alive.’ I whispered to my husband. ‘Nothing would surprise me at this point,’ he responded.”
‘They are WAY too big to be picked up!’ They’re unaware I never held their tiny bodies. I fell and sobbed.’: Couple adopts 4 kids, ‘Being parents is the most extraordinary privilege’
“I’ve pulled live frogs from my son’s pants. They’ve peed in their dresser drawers. Their tiny lives are brimming with trauma and neglect. I’ve lost friends and family. I’ve missed major portions of their lives. They will always belong to another mama, too.”
‘I just want to run my car into the wall.’ He became short with us. Our arguments were violent. I tried so hard to reach him.’: Mom of 4 loses husband to suicide, ‘I choose love over bitterness’
“After we lost Hannah, he began spiraling. One night, he came home extremely late and he was crying. His drinking increased. I tried to reach out to him but his personality was split in two.”
‘I don’t see a future with somebody like you.’ Friends disappeared. I started to believe life wasn’t worth living.’: Woman with ACNES Syndrome starts fashion blog, ‘You can still be YOU’
“I was sweating profusely and vomited in a bush from the pain. I was too young to get sick! I’d always been told your 20’s are the best years of your life but I was just watching them go by from my bed.”
