“The phone call came early afternoon. I should have known something was wrong. ‘Excuse me? I’m not even supposed to be at risk.’”
‘But it doesn’t run in our family!’ I’m too young for this. Is it really happening twice?’: Brother with Down syndrome helps parents accept son’s diagnosis, ‘We had so much hope because of him’
‘I can’t wait to hear him cry!’ Everything was okay. Until it wasn’t. I will never forget the panic in the room.’: Bereaved mom starts company to ‘honor a life only 2 days young’
“The room was silent. Shortly after, the commotion from the NICU team began. I screamed. I yelled. I cried and sobbed as my husband sat next to me, holding my hand, feeling emotions I can’t even imagine as he watched his baby and his wife fall apart in a matter of seconds.”
‘All of a sudden, he was quiet. ‘Is this when the monster started growing?’ The terror waited around the corner.’: Mom loses son to brain cancer, ‘He was so happy to be a part of our family’
“I like to go through my pictures of Aiden. The people in them have no idea what is coming. I always slow down as I get close to the day he was diagnosed. Maybe I’m trying to stop it from happening.”
‘We believe she can’t see.’ I held her tight as she screamed. I’m not letting them take my baby alone.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Canavan Disease, ‘I WILL save my child’
“I held her down while they poked the biggest needle I had ever seen into her back. The acid was destroying the white matter of her brain. That’s when it hit me. ‘There’s no cure.’”
‘I used to be the one they went to for all the things. The one-stop shop for food and comfort and love.’: Mother of teenagers says ‘it’s all a blessing… every bit’
“I used to make breakfasts for kids in footie pajamas, swinging their legs at my kitchen counter. Now, I make four frozen pizzas at once, trying to keep up with how much these tall kids are eating. I used to stay up at night worrying about what they ate that day. Now, I stay awake hoping they are driving safely.”
‘I rocked a 30-pound ‘baby’ for hours. I’ve stayed up to make sure she wasn’t gasping for air.’: Mom says that parents ‘sign up to be full-time employees to the cutest bosses around
“I’m an employee with no sick days, no breaks, and working double-time on holidays.”
‘There was a shooting downtown.’ I fell to the floor. I just knew it was my husband.’: Widow loses husband to accidental shooting, ‘Life is meant to still be enjoyed’
“My husband gave me a quick peck and was out the door. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong. I saw the news pop up. ‘There’s been an accident.’”
‘It’s twins.’ They needed to perform surgery on my placenta. I saw a little 3D hand on the screen and it broke me.’: Woman births sons with TTTS, ‘My boys are my miracles’
“I felt sick, dreading whatever news the next scan might bring. One of our babies had a major brain bleed. I burst into terrified tears. Although I was pregnant with twins, I might not end up with any babies at all.“
‘I’m still forced to see him at court proceedings. I want to run so far away from him. My whole body hurts.’: Narcissistic abuse survivor says ‘there is absolutely nothing romantic about abuse’
“’Come on, it wasn’t all bad.’ I agonized over every detail of our relationship trying to make sense of it all. I cried. A lot. Just because things seemed good, doesn’t mean they ever really were.”
‘Her whole world could be breaking, but for her children, she’ll always smile. Being everyone’s everything isn’t easy.’: Mom says ‘behind those smiles, my beautiful fellow mothers, I see you’
“Motherhood is fragile. And, behind every mother’s smile is a strength that is incomparable. A woman who never quits, and in the toughest times, shows the world her bravest face.”