“I always said I didn’t want to find my biological parents. ‘Why should I try? I have a good life. I have friends, a job, people I love. What if I lose everything?’ I realized I had to accept myself.”
‘Do I have siblings? Do they think about me or miss me?’ It feels like a part of me is missing.’: Transracial adoptee searches for biological family, ‘I’m embracing my roots’
‘A feeling came over me. ‘You’ll be the one to do this.’ My new purpose was to give my dad what he gave me—life.’: Man donates kidney to dad during pandemic, ‘Family is everything’
“My mom told us, ‘Dad needs help.’ There was a sense of urgency. I took the first steps to donate my kidney. The tests showed we were a match. Then I started feeling a slight tickle in my throat.”
‘You’re just having growing pains.’ I’d dislocate my knee twice a week. My joints felt like they were being ripped apart.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome after 17 years
“My doctor looked me in the eyes, ’You’re not crazy. The pain you feel is real.’ It took everything in me not to cry. For the first time in 17 years, a doctor finally believed me.”
‘You’re young, you have plenty of time to try again.’ I knew I never wanted to be pregnant again. ‘Mommy, when am I going to have a baby sister to play with?’: Young couple adopt after miscarriages, ‘We were meant to find him’
“My husband and I were at a family wedding outside of our local town. I remember going to the toilet with my sister-in-law and seeing blood. ‘This is it, Molly, you can do this because you’ve been preparing to lose her for the last 9 months.’ My husband said to me, ‘I won’t make you go through that again.”
‘I HAD to find something! You need a stocking for Santa!’ I wiped my tears in fear of freaking him out.’: Gay man shares touching Christmas story with husband, ‘It was the beginning of our lives’
“It took years to recover. We packed my car and put all of the gifts in the back. ‘ What if my family was rude to him?’ To this day, it is so vivid.”
‘I hate to tell you this, but there’s a MAJOR problem.’ Darkness. Shock. The whole room disappeared around me.’: Couple has baby with anencephaly, ‘He’s impacted so many lives’’
“Each week we grew more hopeful our boy would live long enough to come home. The moment he was placed in my arms was the truest love I’ve ever felt.”
‘I hope you aren’t stuck-up when you’re slimmer.’ It struck me. I’m a kind person because I’m a kind person, not because I’m fat.’: Woman details body positivity journey, ‘You are worthy’
“When I was 8, my mom bought me a new skirt. It was too small in my waist. For the rest of the day, I walked laps on our front lawn. ‘I can walk the weight away.’ I felt immense guilt about myself and my body.”
‘I was scared to stand. I presented my poem on my knees. ‘You’ve inspired us all!’ I never let my disability stop me.’: Young man shares journey with heart condition, ‘I keep pushing through’
“The bus driver accidentally dropped me and broke my leg. After that fall, I was really scared. I didn’t let it stop me. I knew Allah wouldn’t abandon me.”
‘In my left hand, I held a gun. In the other was a beer. My first Christmas as a single mom without my kids was soul-wrenching.’: Woman shares grief journey, ‘Life is messy and beautiful’
“I walked up to the cashier with a plunger and a six-pack of beer. ‘Merry Christmas!’ she beamed. I’m not sure I even said anything, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see I wasn’t feeling the spirit. This wasn’t how I intended to spend Christmas Day.”
‘You need to tie your hair up.’ I ran home in tears. My hair was my shield. Without it, I felt lost and defenseless.’: Woman with hearing loss becomes advocate, ‘I no longer want to hide’
“I deliberately chose brown hearing aids to match my hair. ‘I want them to be invisible to everyone.’ I made sure my hair was always covering my ears. This became the perfect disguise.”