“Her diagnosis sent us reeling, but we decided we wouldn’t define Shaina by her condition but by her sunshine personality.”
‘Something’s wrong with Shaina!’ She lay stiff, her face crimson, lips bluish. When we received an answer, it was devastating.’: Girl with BPAN, a rare disease, inspires kindness movement
‘Collectively, we are going through one of the hardest times in history. Individually, we are all fighting our own battles others know nothing about.’: Burnt out mom urges ‘we can do hard things’
“These moments are here to teach us lessons, to break us down and rebuild a stronger version of ourselves. You are a warrior, you are a fighter, you are a survivor.”
‘Whenever I blow on dandelions, I always wish for a brother.’ Deep down, I knew I had to ask my sister if she’d be open to it.’: Sisters reunite separated siblings in double adoption
“I dreamed of him becoming part of our family. For her and her bio brother to be reunited someday.”
‘The statistics were extremely stacked against me. Then, I was adopted.’: Former foster youth shares healing journey, ‘You are not responsible for what happened to you as a child’
“I experienced the stability and safe love I’d longed for years. And even though I tried to push it away, they never left me. My family was relentless in their commitment to loving me and helping me heal. No matter what I did – and I did a lot of things – they loved me.”
‘They looked like they hadn’t eaten in weeks, and they never said a single word. Our training was exactly for this moment.’: Mom shares foster-to-adopt journey, advice for other adopters
“Those frail little boys have learned to ride bikes, scooters, skateboards. Our commitment to them is as if I had given birth to them. There is no difference in our love for them.”
‘Why did you choose open adoption when you don’t have to?’ It shouldn’t have to be ‘either/or,’ it should be ‘and.’: Adoptive mom reflects on unique journey, ‘This little girl deserves the world’
“We entered into the adoption of our daughter the way birth mom wanted – a fully closed adoption. She knew she could not safely care for her baby with the life she was living, but her heart was hurting. In my heart, I knew we needed a plan C.”
‘If I don’t answer that door, whatever news they have will go away.’ I knew. A mother always knows.’: Mom shares tragic loss of son, hometown hero
“Three hours later, our doorbell rang. ‘It’s the cops!’ I heard them ask if we owned a 2017 Jeep. I was immobilized, tears stinging, unable to speak.”
‘We’re creating our own family by the heart.’: Woman adopts family friend from broken home, former foster daughter as adults
“I’ve looked at others’ family relationships and wondered, ‘What is that like?’ When Connie expressed how she knew what it was like to have a mother now, it touched me deeply. We’re creating our own family by the heart.”
‘Brothers by chance, friends by choice.’: Mom in awe after sons adorably become instant BFFs
“We were worried when we brought home baby brother that he would be jealous. Turns out, we brought him his new best friend for life.”
How A Puzzle Helped Fund Our Sibling Adoptions After Infertility
“The name of each donor is written on the back of the puzzle that hangs above their beds. Each piece of the puzzle tells a story because each donor gave an incredible gift.”