“It’s a calculated risk, and not one she is taking lightly. Every cough will be monitored. Every runny nose will be analyzed. There will be temperature checks every morning, and daily reminders of hand washing and hand sanitizing. She hopes it will be enough, and she struggles because she feels like she isn’t.”
“He was taken away by force with no time to prepare, no time to say goodbye, no explanation. He keeps it with him, day and night, no matter where we are or what we are doing. The one thing I wanted to get rid of was the only thing he had left.”
“My mind was racing with what to do next. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to make the appointment. I carried him in with his favorite blanket in hopes it will make everything better. He was actually diagnosed with a superpower.”
“Our baby’s heels were full of cuts from blood draws. We were battling low blood sugar, jaundice, and feeding issues. We spent that week walking around like zombies. She had no idea what was coming, but we did.”
“I told my son, ‘Your present is in the van, you can go get it.’ He stopped dead in his tracks and exhaled, ‘Mom?’ He took off sprinting into her arms, sobbing.”
“When the people you used to be close with stop checking in. When it all starts to feel too heavy for you to carry. When you feel like you don’t belong. Take a step back and look at your life. You’re exactly where you need to be. No one could do it better or love them harder than you.”
“I often wonder what that day in February was like, the last day you saw me. Did you leave in the dead of night so you wouldn’t be caught? Did you wait until a stranger found me, or did you rush to leave, eager to forget? Because of you, I begged my parents to quit Chinese dance. Because of you, I laughed at Chinese jokes to show I wasn’t one of THEM. I was an outcast in the only world I knew and exiled from the world where I belonged.”
“Less than 30 minutes later, I got a second call about my other son, Ivan. When he got to the hospital, he had a big handprint on the side of his face and a 118-degree fever. He was fighting so hard, but we both knew it was time to let go. I was a single mom of 4 and I needed a babysitter. I trusted him with my kids.”
“Her voice was full of pity. ‘One in nine.’ The electricity of paralyzing grief that overcame my body on that day is something I still have difficulty putting into words. But as I cradled her tiny body close for the first time, I felt a wave of peace.”
“I was constantly having hot flashes. I ended up throwing up blood and fainted at work. ’Go to Urgent Care.’ They weren’t really sure what was causing my problems. I was constantly waiting in the doctor’s office to get bad news.”
