Children

‘TWO flickering heartbeats. I should have been crying tears of joy, but instead I was still crying tears over the loss of our first baby, our fur baby.’: Couple struggles on the long road to twins, one with Down Syndrome

“My husband and I have been married for 6 years, and everything we have gone through from the moment we met just feels like such a tangled web of fate and destiny. I was born and raised in southwest Florida, and my husband, Josh, is from Ontario, Canada. Growing up, we made countless trips to …

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 24, 2020

‘My child sleeps in my bed instead of hers. We decided co-sleeping is best for our family. You weren’t there.’: Mom of autistic daughter urges family and friends not to judge

“You judged the accuracy of my child’s diagnosis, it hurts. Dear family, there is something you should know. You aren’t there; but I am.”

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 24, 2020

‘If you’re gonna hit me, just get it over with.’ She threatened to flush my head down the toilet’: Bullying victim urges understanding, ‘This is why they become bullies’

“I did absolutely nothing to her. I feared for my life. Years later, her sister and I bumped into each other, and we hung out. She told me about Elsa. She had been through hell.”

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 24, 2020

‘My heart dropped. WHAT? ‘You have to tell me now!’ I will never look at this photo and not remember.’ Mom receives fetal Down syndrome diagnosis,’I’m so blessed to be on this ‘wheel of life’

“Ten minutes after taking this picture, we’d receive the most memorable phone call of our lives. ‘Have you thought about what you’re going to do?’ Trisomy 21. He was cold and very matter-of-fact.”

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 24, 2020

‘Are YOU okay, ma’am?’ The officer was staring at my passenger, my 15-year-old son. Her hand shot right back on her gun.’: Mom speaks out about racism against son, ‘My skin protected him’

“I was pulled over for driving over the speed limit. I BROKE THE LAW! Each officer got out, slowly approached my car with their hands on their guns. That had never happened to me before, so I thought it strange. One cautiously approached my window and asked, ‘Are YOU okay, Ma’am?’ She stared at my son with a look I had never seen in an officer before.”

Published by Sophia San Filippo - Jun 23, 2020

‘Who is going to pay for them?’ The years brought 7 more kids. ‘Are you crazy?’ Maybe.’: Mom chooses to have large family, ‘We had less money, but more love’

“The amount of rude comments were astounding. ‘Don’t you know how that happens? How do you afford them? We couldn’t figure out why everyone saw having a big family as a negative.”

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 23, 2020

‘Was there a power failure that night?’ My brother and I are close, but not to the point of sharing baby-making plans.’: Mom tells amazing story about how surprise co-pregnancies resulted in ‘twousins’

“’Guess when our baby is due?’ I remember them asking with a smirk on their faces. I couldn’t believe it when they told me. What were the chances? From that moment, the race was on.”

Published by LJ Herman - Jun 23, 2020

‘I’m not scared of getting the virus. I probably won’t die,’ they say. I survived, and now I’m battling post-viral syndrome.’: Woman diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis after COVID-19 recovery

“I used to pride myself on being a hardworking, independent go-getter. It’s been a shock to have to let things go. It’s like a strong hangover, but there was no fun last night, no choice in the matter, and it won’t go away after a good sleep.”

Published by Sophia San Filippo - Jun 23, 2020

‘My mother said, ‘We need to have a talk.’ She placed me in a trance. She kept me close, controlling all my decisions in the name of ‘love.’: Narcissistic abuse survivor urges ‘you deserve to be safe and happy’

“She made me feel special, then she controlled what clothes I could wear, what friends I could have, where I went to college, and my wedding. She wanted to ‘show me off’ to her friends. But there was a huge price to be paid. She found any excuse to keep me with my vices if it meant keeping me close to her.”

Published by Sophia San Filippo - Jun 23, 2020