“In addition to planning two funerals, my husband and I were left with a room full of baby items. Three boppy pillows, three bouncers, enough diapers for three little babies. I waited in line to return it all. The grief took a hold of me.”
‘The checkout lady saw my cart. ‘Oh wow! Did you get too many things on your registry?’ Tears poured down my face. ‘No, two of my children died,’ I said. ‘I don’t need these anymore.’
‘His daughter didn’t get home until after 9, then she still had to do homework before bed. This child’s schedule was exhausting. Then I had an epiphany.’: Woman overcomes mom guilt, ‘I have to do what’s best for my family’
“I was at the courthouse when he told me his wife was busy hauling their 8-year-old daughter, who is a few years older than my daughters, to after school activities. Let me see if I remember this correctly. His daughter partook in ten activities. You didn’t read it wrong. TEN.”
‘When he turned a year old, he couldn’t sit up. He didn’t play with toys. He was essentially a newborn. He kept his left hand clenched, and his entire left side was tight.’
“I’ll never forget the words he said. ‘Knowing what his brain looks like, I can’t believe he is talking like this.’ I went to my car and cried. I cried tears of joy and tears of relief. And if I’m being honest, a few tears of fear. By early May, it was confirmed.”
‘They found something. I don’t want to ruin your Christmas.’ I sat with my head against the closet, ruined.’: Woman loses husband to Stage 4 Stomach Cancer after multiple misdiagnoses, claims his death ‘saved 3 family members, daughters’
“I remember sitting there with my head against the closet thinking my Christmas Eve was already ruined without him there. I remember the tears started streaming down my face even though I tried to keep it together for him and the girls. My older daughter came over and wrapped her arms around my neck because she could tell I was upset.”
‘Two months in, we were faced with a positive pregnancy test. My wife wanted an abortion. I was crushed.’: Husband shares how they navigated unexpected pregnancy, differing opinions about abortion
“It’s safe to say things didn’t go as planned.”
‘I plan to finally tell my homophobic parents I’m gay and transgender. By that time, they can’t do anything about it!’
“I asked him if he would come to the hideout so we could talk. No adult knew about it. He met me there, and I told him I was gay. ‘I don’t want to date a guy, that’s disgusting!’ I was devastated.”
‘Can I still use the tickets even though my baby passed?’ Their response: ‘No, your guest must be present.’ My heart broke into a million pieces.’: Mom loses baby girl to pneumonia, ‘She isn’t in pain, she is free’
“The day she died was the day we got the email that we had won the tickets. I asked if we could still use it for my girls, even though one was now my angel baby. It felt like the perfect thing to honor and remember her. A simple no would have been okay with me, but their words felt like a stab to the heart. The bear lost its meaning to me.”
‘I got pregnant at 22 because I wanted someone to show me unconditional love. I remember seeing my baby for the first time and thinking, ‘Ugh.’
“I loved my son, but I would have harmful thoughts. ‘He is so small, what if I just suffocated him?’ I heard stories on the news of women killing their children and I would think, ‘Oh my gosh, is that going to be me?’”
‘I had 34 beautiful bridesmaids at my wedding! I didn’t know it would turn out the way it did. It just sort of happened.’: Woman has ‘truly magical’ beach wedding with all her girlfriends
“We pulled over to grab some Chick-Fil-A. Everything seemed normal. My husband opened the car door. I wasn’t dolled up. My hair was undone. There was not a spec of makeup on me. I never expected what was going to happen next.”
‘Drive carefully. I love you.’ Mom said, hugging us. 10 minutes later, she got a call. It was an unfamiliar number. ‘Your daughter had an accident. She wants you to come.’
“I always worried about her. I had to be a ‘big brother.’ I protected her. We planned an outdoor wedding. This barn had a lovely garden, and a beautiful path to a place I imagine heaven looks like. It was there, we saw my sister again.”