“Fortunately, I DO have the ability. It had been a huge learning curve for my husband who was required to eat foods that make him gag. The brain is good at making associations.”
‘I was talking with a friend. I take a deep breath. My 1, 4, and 6 year-olds couldn’t ‘intentionally manipulate’ me.’: Mom discusses the psychology behind children and food
‘Why are all the other kids her age able to turn and look at their parents?’ I chalked it up to me doing something wrong.’: Mom to daughter with autism says ‘find love in your heart not to judge’
“I sat there, trying to hold back my tears. ‘What does this mean? What about her unborn sister? Will she have friends?’ I couldn’t take it anymore. I just sat there and let the tears flow down my cheeks as my daughter stood in between my legs. I stroked her hair, feeling so afraid for her future.”
‘I kept getting UTIs. My male doctor said, ‘Do you think the pain might be ALL IN YOUR HEAD?’ I was mortified.’: Woman with chronic urinary tract infections urges ‘you are not alone’
“I’d receive a 3-day course of antibiotics and be sent on my way. It would clear up, but come back with vengeance. I was told it was ‘just because I was WITH my boyfriend.’ Fair enough, sex can be a cause, but what did other people do? Stay single for the rest of their life? I was at a loss. All the doctors suggested I was exaggerating.”
‘We married ‘outside of our race.’ We get hateful stares, slurs. Still, we will continue to love one another and grow stronger.’: Woman in interracial couple says ‘we will rise above negativity’
“We’ve come to understand people do not want a black person dating or marrying a white person, or a white person dating or marrying a black person. And to them I say, we will rise above.”
‘I was single with a big, empty house. ‘Can you take in a 10-month-old baby?’ A lightbulb went off.’: Single woman embarks on emotional foster mom journey, ‘I’d repeat it all over again’
“I buckled baby J into his seat and gave him a quick kiss. ‘I’ll see you later.’ The lump in my throat was painful as ever. I turned away to see J’s brother crying. I absolutely lost it. I panicked, trying to catch my breath. I went from being a mom to no longer being a mom in a matter of minutes.”
‘Are you joking?’ My doctor had a very serious look. ‘Pregnancy is not something I’m allowed to joke about.’ I’d been taking birth control pills.’: Mom births warrior baby with ‘sweet cleft smile’
“I said goodbye to his sweet, wide smile and tried to hold it together as the nurse carried him away. The second I got to the café, with my COVID-19 mask under my chin, I ugly cried into my sandwich. I texted my best friend, ‘I’m going to puke or soil my pants.’ I was a ball of emotion.”
‘We found our phones with several missed calls, texts. ‘Congratulations! You’ve been matched with a baby boy…’ We immediately melted into tears.’: Couple adopt baby with Down syndrome, ‘He was absolutely worth the wait’
“A fat stack of personal information – copies of driver’s licenses, tax returns, medical records – everything we are taught to keep confidential, was GONE. ‘Lost’ in the mail. 3 weeks later, I got a call from our social worker: ‘You’ll never guess what just happened!’ We knew raising a child with special needs would bring challenges, but we also knew it would be a huge blessing.”
‘Mom, I can’t get the video out of my head.’ My sweet boys who still snuggle, could be viewed as a threat.’: Mom encourages sons to protest, ‘My boys got to participate in something so impactful’
“’Why is that officer on that man’s neck?’ It dawned on me, although we explained racism and expressed there are people who will hate them because of their skin color, we failed to put emphasis on how some of those people may very well be the same ones intended to protect you.”
‘She was abandoned with nothing, not even a name.’: Woman starts orphanage for terminally ill kids
“‘Her own family didn’t even want her,’ the judge told me solemnly, ‘She’s probably not going to live. Why would you even bother? Why do you care so much?’ I looked right back at her and said, ‘Because her life matters.'”
‘I’m lying on the ground crying. ‘I can’t bear this.’ His life will be over before it really begins.’: Mom advocates for son’s terminal illness, Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, ‘Strength is more than muscle’
“How can I watch him learn how to feed himself, knowing all too soon he won’t be able to move his arms? I tried to imagine what life was going to look like with this diagnosis. ‘I just can’t do this.’”