“He may have a disability, but Tommy is capABLE of anything. His happiness, love of life, and laughter is something which will forever bring smiles to the face of anyone he meets. He is our ANGEL.”
‘There’s some bad news regarding your blood work.’ They spent 12 HOURS on his spine. We weren’t sure he’d ever crawl. But he DID.’: Mom births baby with spina bifida, ‘He completes us’
‘I feared I wouldn’t make enough for her, so I built a MASSIVE stash. Just because it’s a natural thing doesn’t mean it comes naturally to every mom.’: Woman donates breast milk, ‘I’m SO grateful to help’
“I never knew where breastfeeding would lead me. I never had an end goal in mind. To be honest with you, I didn’t know any of this was possible.”
‘Where’s the nearest bathroom?’ I had to plan an ‘escape route’ if things went south. I went home defeated, but tried to do life as normal.’: Man with ulcerative colitis urges others to ‘choose joy and love’
“It wasn’t until the first few times I completely crapped my pants in public I started taking my illness seriously. I blacked out, screaming, ‘Help me!’ Something wasn’t right. I had to take back the life I’d lost.”
‘A heavy door slammed. I begged, ‘I promise I’ll be the best girl. Please don’t leave me!’ A creepy man said ‘young lady’ and grabbed me by the shoulders.’: Woman details journey battling cancer while in teen religious cult
“My stepmom gave me an ultimatum. ‘Your belongings are in trash bags on the front porch.’ I was not allowed to call or see my father. What I thought was a trip to Grandma’s ended in me being locked in a religious cult for 5 years as I battled cancer.”
‘I’m struggling with money to get formula.’ How wonderful it was to know that my body was capable of making a little extra for other families.’: New mom donates breast milk, ‘I see your tears and my heart is with you’
“The employees were kind and talked to me about their situation with tears in their eyes. My heart dropped to the floor. It opened my eyes to the difficulties so many go through.”
‘I COULDN’T let him down. The biggest brown eyes popped out at me. We took in every detail of his face.’: Couple adopts, has surprise pregnancy, ‘I love them equally, forever’
“I must have pulled that pregnancy test out of the trash 16 times to make sure I wasn’t making it up. ‘I’m pregnant,’ I blurted to my husband. We sat speechless on the phone until he said, ‘Well, looks like we are bringing home siblings after all!'”
‘He’s still the boy you love dearly.’ We thought he was a happy baby. I had NO idea he fought for every breath.’: Mom welcomes baby with congenital heart defects, ‘He’s a force to be reckoned with’
“My baby was going to have to endure the unthinkable, and there was nothing I could do.”
‘I’m going to dance at your wedding!’ Something about him struck me. I tried to play it cool. We never saw what was to come.’: Woman loses husband to Covid-19, advocates for other victims after viral post
‘I will never forget the moment I first saw him, the world seemed brighter. I told him, ‘You’re going to sleep, but in a few days we’ll pick you up. I found a note from him saying, ‘Always be happy no matter what.’”
‘What do you do for love? Have a baby! I was in the middle of drug deals, poisoning myself. It was a wake-up call.’: Woman details sobriety journey, ‘Obstacles gave me opportunities’
“I was taught, if you do what you’re supposed to and look how you’re supposed to look, you can and ‘deserve’ to drink, smoke, and vandalize when people aren’t looking.”
‘Brushing my hair for the first day of 1st Grade, my mom’s face grew concerned. ‘I’m fine!’ The lump doubled in size by the time I returned from school.’: Leukemia survivor creates foundation to inspire hope among community
“I was only 6 years when cancer consumed my life. Some people try to erase their history of battling cancer; I choose to embrace it.”