“I’ll never forget having my whole life ahead of me one day and the next, being told, ‘There’s no cure. Your life expectancy is 5-10 years.’ I was scared and alone.”
‘When I told him, his response was, ‘And I could get hit by a bus.’ None of us know what the future holds.’: Woman with rare disorder lives with intention
‘I meet her in a stark waiting room. Her eyes settle on her newborn in the car seat I’m carrying.’: Woman shares relationship with son’s birth mom
“The nurse smiles, ‘Congratulations.’ A sick feeling fills my stomach, and I think of his birth mom. I pray he’ll never have to wonder who she is.”
‘There’s no telling when it will be the last time he needs me.’: Mom urges ‘savor and soak in’ early stages of motherhood
“I don’t want to miss it.”
‘I won’t raise my hand too high because it might upset somebody.’ I picked apart my every move.’: Woman with anxiety advocates for mental heath
“How could the president of a mental health awareness club struggle with her own mental health? I finally ran out of options.”
‘She’s just shy,’ they said. ‘She’ll grow out of it.’ All my life I felt like a misfit.’: Mom diagnosed with autism after son’s diagnosis
“I began to notice similarities between my son’s struggles and my own. Things that triggered him also triggered me. I had meltdowns just like he has meltdowns. I felt SEEN for the first time.”
I Got Pregnant At 41 Years Old Despite My IUD
“I thought about abortion. But one day, scrolling through Facebook, I saw a post from a childhood neighbor. She had a friend who, with her wife, were looking to adopt. People judged me. ‘Even though you hate the father, don’t hate the baby.’ I knew exactly what it felt like to want a baby more than anything and not be able to have one. It was my time to help.”
‘You’re pushing your gay AGENDA if we let you adopt.’: Gay dad adopts 2 kids, runs for mayor, ‘Love will ALWAYS drown out hate’
“Little did we know, we’d adopt TWO children instead of one. Although I don’t want to be looked at as ‘that gay dad,’ being a gay parent is a brave new world.”
‘When it was my turn to play dress-up, they paused. ‘Oh, Liz, there aren’t any princesses left.’ My confidence was shattered.’: Woman with Goldenhar Syndrome advocates for facial equality
“The blonde girl was Cinderella, the brunette was Belle. ‘Liz, you can be the mother.’ There was no princess that resembled what I looked like, no role for me to play.”
‘I’ll never be pretty enough for people to want to be my friend.’ I had to face my hair loss.’: Woman shares journey with alopecia
“I felt like I had no identity other than being the weird bald girl. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was disappointed with what I saw.”
‘My first full sentence was, ‘My back hurts.’ I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that was for my mom.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I am brave and strong’
“I asked daily, ‘Why me?’ I was so frustrated and angry at the world. I didn’t understand why I had to endure this much pain and trauma.”