“I stood there, speechless. Then he said something that shook me to my soul: ‘If my daughter was still here with us, I’d do the same for her.’ I sat in my car and cried tears of gratitude. Never would he know what this actually meant to me.”
How A Grieving Stranger’s Kindness Changed My Family’s Christmas Season Forever
‘No one understands me!’ I felt like I was drowning in feelings. I was afraid of losing what I thought was my identity.’: Transracial adoptee shares journey, ‘Families don’t have to look the same’
“I struggled to go to school each year. I’d feel nervous when I was separated from my mom in a new place. ‘I don’t feel good.’ It was my way of saying, ‘I’m anxious.’ I never put a name to those feelings.”
‘We weren’t happy. I turned to him and said, ‘Do you just want to live in a van?’ Nothing’s EVER been the same.’: Couple takes on tiny-living in van, ‘We can conquer ANYTHING’
“Nothing went smoothly. If there was ever a roadblock for us to run into, we hit every single one during each project. The strength of our relationship is built into every bit of wood, every nail, and screw, within our tiny home.”
‘Ew, get your cancer away from me.’ I have tumors in every bone. I hated feeling so different.’: Woman with Multiple Hereditary Exostoses advocates for disability rights, ‘I will be the change’
“I actually felt the needle scrape the bone and went straight to work after. When a coworker called me lazy for not offering her help, I was beyond myself. I posted on Facebook, finally exposing my secret to the world. That was the first step.”
‘You go to the ‘r*tard class.’ We got death threats on social media. I wanted to hurt them like they hurt me.’: Bullying survivor details journey, urges ‘TELL SOMEONE’
“Nobody was putting an end to it, not the teachers, principal, not even other kids who witnessed the bullying.”
‘I’ll see her in one month IF she makes it until then.’ He asked if we were related, multiple times. I was APPALLED.’: Mom births baby with dwarfism, ‘She’s doing AMAZING’
“I looked down at her hands and knew something was off. The mom in me knew. ‘So she’s going to be small? No big deal!’ We could tell there was something else he wasn’t telling us.”
‘My son recently asked, ‘What did you get for Christmas as a kid?’ So I told him. ‘I honestly don’t remember.’: Mom shares sweet Christmas reminder, ‘Only the memories last a lifetime’
“Decorating the tree with my favorite Hallmark ornaments. Christmas music ringing through the house. Sledding down the neighbors’ driveway. Sipping hot cocoa from mugs adorned with snowmen. Driving around town in search of the best lights. Those moments? They last a lifetime.”
‘You knew they weren’t yours forever. Why’d you let yourself get so attached?’ I couldn’t help it. I was made for this.’: Woman details foster care journey, ‘We’re just getting started’
“I was there for her first smile, first bath, first words. Nothing prepared me for giving ‘my’ child away to be adopted by someone else. Rocking her to sleep for the last time was the hardest thing I’d ever do. I was sure I’d shatter completely.”
‘My son NEEDS an evaluation!’ I knew it was coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no idea what to think.’: Mom shares son’s Autism journey, ‘There’s no other life I’d want’
“I began to see differences in him. Ronin was banging his head against the floor and pulling my hair out by the handful during his meltdowns. Doing nothing didn’t seem right.”
‘I want to swallow a bottle of pills and end it.’ Nothing brought me happiness. All I saw was a girl who needed to lose weight.’: Woman details recovery journey, ‘ALL bodies are good bodies’
“The clothes that once fit became baggy. One day, I tried an old pair of jeans on, and they fit. I CRIED. I had gained weight, and that was absolutely terrifying for me. I was always trying to be the ‘perfect’ girl.”