“It wasn’t something I talked about. It made me feel different, what every child DOESN’T want. I only wanted to play with white dolls with blonde hair. I stopped telling people the truth. I had SO many questions about my identity.”
‘Where do YOU come from?’ I hated those questions. I was the ‘token brown girl.’ THIS is why representation matters.’: Adoptee finds strength in sharing story, ‘Families can look different’
‘You were born from my heart. I went out into the world to find you.’ My heart raced with excitement. I had to uncover the truth.’: Adoptee shares search for biological family, ‘Family is defined by love’
“My mother was told I died after I was circumcised. She was 13. Lies, secrecy, and betrayal run rampant in the family line. I sat there, stunned. Could this be the link to my past I’d always dreamed of?”
‘I felt my throat closing. ‘Buddy, the monster’s back. We have to fight him again.’ He gave me a fist bump. ‘We got this, Mama.’: Mom shares son’s journey battling Ewing’s Sarcoma twice
“We went to Urgent Care 11 times in a month. They kept sending us home. ‘We don’t know why he’s in pain.’ I was a nervous wreck. When we found it, the tumor was the size of a softball in his tiny body.”
‘Would you consider all 3?’ I was now sole custodian of a 1, 2 and 3-year-old and three teens. We didn’t think twice.’: Woman becomes foster mom after losing son, ‘My babies saved me’
“We were asked to house the baby girl so she could be with her siblings. We were ADAMANT about the ‘temporary’ part. There were dressers in the living room, playpens, cribs and toys everywhere.”
‘Everything looked normal to the surgeon.’ I felt helpless. My fight to find what was wrong was nowhere near over.’: Woman finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, ‘Be your own advocate’
“I woke up in the recovery room. ‘Did they find anything?’ My heart broke when the tests came back clear. I’d been relying on this surgery to give me answers. My body was struggling.”
‘They took away the light within me, and I had no support from my school.’: Teen bullying victim with autism shares heartbreaking plea for change
“The bullies made an album of inappropriate images and comments about me. Too embarrassed to show my parents, the school kept it a secret. We were told we had to be ‘tolerant towards other children.’ I just want to venture outdoors and live my dreams without being targeted.”
‘Our journey to become parents was heartbreaking. I seemed to find every pregnant woman on the planet. I had to save my sanity.’: Mom shares healing through meditation, ‘Find what brings you JOY’
“I threw myself into working, scouring the internet for infertility stories, scrolling Instagram mindlessly. I knew I needed help to bring myself out of the fog. But what I actually learned was to let go.”
‘3…2…1.’ Darkness. I awoke to women in overalls. ‘Do you know where you are Mrs. Knowles? Elvis didn’t make it. Would you like to see him?’ I just wept and nodded.’: Mom to angel baby details journey, ‘Grief is love with nowhere to go’
“Empty-eyed, my husband wheeled a grey bassinet into the room. ‘I’m sorry. So, so sorry.’ I’d spent the last 2 years teaching women how to birth babies, yet I couldn’t. Elvis was cold in my arms, but so beautiful. I swore I saw his little chest rise and heard a little grunt, but my mind played tricks on me. I held him as the last pulses of energy left his little body.”
‘I called my husband. ‘Get on a plane NOW and get here!’ Things we loved about her were suddenly ‘something.’: Daughter battles neurofibromatsis, ‘She’s taught me about compassion at age 5’
“People kept telling me, ‘You’re obsessed! Just trust the doctors.’ But I needed the WHY. Something was going on with my daughter, and I wanted to know WHAT. I’m glad I trusted my gut.“
‘I ran barefoot down the street. My little boy was lying in the road. He looked so precious, like he was sleeping. Then I saw the blood.’: 12-year-old suffers traumatic brain injury, ‘He’s our miracle’
“I ran out to the helipad. I could see his sweet little nose, the dimple in his chin. He had dried blood on the side of his face but he looked peaceful. ‘Baby, you’re going to be okay. Jesus is with you.’ I had faith.”