“It was roughly 3 years after our 17-month-old son Bennett died. I stood there in shock in the midst of chasing my 1-year old toddler around in the August heat. Was this how people now saw me? Would this be how I would be introduced going forward? ‘Oh, hi, I’m Sheri, nice to meet you. My mom died when I was 16, my son died 5 years ago, oh and my dad just passed, so I guess that leaves me an adult orphan. Nice to meet you.’”
“My wife and I started thinking about having kids. I had it all worked out. We did our research, picked a donor, scheduled the IUI and would start our family – boy was I wrong. After 3 failed attempts and 2 miscarriages, I knew I needed to give my body a break, so my wife Lisa decided she’d give it a try. He then said the words I will never forget. ‘Do you want to terminate?’ I was floored, in shock and mad. No!”
“It broke my heart. Here was the man who gave his family everything. Allowing me to stay home and raise our children. He’d wake up in the middle of the night to attend to them. Took time off when I was sick. Always has special daddy-daughter time. Let me sleep in and would do housework, so I didn’t have to worry. He is the most successful person I’ve ever met. My husband has been very busy.”
“After 12 long hours, we decided to let him go. We got him Baptized and got his finger and hand prints before the doctor came in and said it was time. She put him in a little quilt and put him into my mom’s arms. Yes, my mom’s. I couldn’t hold him at that point, I was a coward.”
“We watched her when the dog barked, we’d vacuum right next to her as she slept. Friends would watch football, loudly. NO response. Nothing seemed to disturb her. We knew something was terribly wrong.”
“I sent the text, ‘Let’s have a baby.’ He finally responded, ‘How? I’m fixed. Thought you didn’t want one?’ The blood drained from my body. ‘We can get your juice out. I looked into it.’ He then said the most romantic phrase ever. ‘I’d love that too.’ My heart was glowing. Our best option was a full vasectomy reversal. My husband nearly burned a hole in the carpet pacing back and forth. We knew what we were up against.”
“I was inside doing dishes when I felt a pang in my heart and heard the urgent words, ‘Check on Luke!’ I flew out the door to find him lying on the ground. He had been struck in the chest.”
“She didn’t want me to stay at her apartment because of her obsessed ex that was still showing up uninvited, and unannounced. She was the most beautiful person I’d laid eyes on. She had 3 little girls she loved dearly. All our demons had disappeared. Or so I thought. My sweet Elena told me she was going to the bathroom to take some medicine. Then we sat and talked. ‘I love you so much, just don’t hurt me.’ How silly I thought. She went to sleep soon afterwards.”
“I met my friend’s new baby! I smelled the newborn goodness. I watched her little mouth open while she yawns and holds my thumb. Then, I felt a familiar sensation… my ovaries start to go off like firecrackers, like my little uterus has pressed the red button and is screaming MAYDAY! MAYDAY! We need a fetus!! I message my husband saying, ‘One more?'”
“Women tell girls to ‘never depend on a man’ as if it makes you less of a woman. Well, call me weak. I depend on this man right here.”
