“People ask me all the time if I knew. What I knew was that I loved him. I spend a lot of time asking who is to blame.”
‘I left widow groups because my loss doesn’t get compassion like others.’: Woman reflects on overdose awareness day, ‘I loved him and he loved me’
‘Then cancer struck. It’s hard to be single in a sea of married people. Friends dragged me to the next step.’: Widow is grateful for ‘friend family’ who carry her through life
“They stand by me through the hardest times of my life. They have most recently watched me lose myself in someone who was not worthy of my time. They include us in family gatherings, and their husbands step up when my daughter needs a father figure in her life.”
‘He was 9 years older. I thought he was my everything. As soon as I hit the top of the stairs, my heart started racing. ‘I love you. Something is wrong.’: Woman with Tachycardia starts weight loss journey
“I started sweating and it didn’t stop. I should have called 911 but I called my husband. I told him I loved him and something was wrong. May 20th was the day my life changed forever. I never believed I was allowed to smile or be happy because no one was ever nice to me.”
‘Is he walking yet?’ I got defensive. I gave a long-winded response, explaining everything else he was doing as if it were an issue.’: Mom urges ‘don’t rush milestones’
“He is 12 months old and still not walking. Why is it we want to rush the milestones instead of embracing them being babies for just a little bit longer?”
‘We received an email out of the blue: ‘It’s time, you can bring your children home now.’ I choked back tears. We waited 22 months.’: Couple adopt two children into ‘forever family,’ now family of 7
“10 minutes after turning off the light, I whispered, ‘Are you asleep?’ Stephen turned the light back on. We had to make a decision about bringing two children into our family solely based on pictures. ‘These were the children God sent to us, so, what is there to discuss?’ That was the moment they began to grow in our hearts.”
‘I couldn’t walk away once, but twice, and not see them again.’: Woman loses 2 babies to congenital muscle disease
“I didn’t want anyone to die, especially not my child. Especially not two of my children. But that’s what happened.”
‘He held up his sign: ‘Cancer is hard. Being black is hard… I want to survive both.’ Just then, a police officer turned back around.’: Police officers touched by childhood cancer fighter
“Just then, a police officer blew his horn and turned back around to introduce himself. He wanted to know everything AJ has been through. He vowed, ‘I will teach my kids to love everyone.’ I want my son to know you don’t need a big crowd to voice your opinion.”
‘Somewhere inside of you is a little girl who wonders at the grown-up you’ve become, someone who is fierce and ready to take on the world.’: Woman thankful for her daughter, ‘she is teaching me in the midst of raising her’
“There have been times you have said ‘no’ when you wanted to say ‘yes.’ I have seen this photo before and it always takes me back and makes me think.”
‘I received a missed call from daycare. ‘Declan was taking a nap and never woke up.’ I remember thinking it was a silly bump or runny nose.’: Woman says ‘I will always be Declan’s momma’ after SIDS loss
“I found my husband, dirty from work and his face buried in his hands. Several police officers stared at me as he paced and yelled, ‘Come on buddy, come on.’ I went behind the curtain and saw my son looking so tiny on the hospital bed in just his diaper, and a dozen doctors and nurses around him trying to start his heart.”
‘Minutes after the pregnancy photos were taken, I found blood in the bathroom and felt a gush of water. In an instant, I knew I needed to get to the hospital.’: Couple diagnosed with rare blood clot disorder, ‘Jack is not only our guardian angel, but my hero’
“His name was Jack. I replay it in my head every day. He is so loved and so so wanted.”