“I kept drinking to fit in; I didn’t want to feel left out. I was in denial.”
‘I woke up to my boyfriend panicking on the phone with 911. I had one too many.’: Woman shares sobriety, Epilepsy acceptance journey
‘You can’t tell me I’m not allowed to grieve.’: Special needs mom says ‘my feelings are valid’
“I’m not grieving WHO he is. I grieve the parts which bring me to my knees in tears – watching what his little body has to endure.”
‘Your wife looks really suspicious for Munchausen’s by proxy.’ He warned other doctors about me.’: Mom to medically complex child urges ‘ALWAYS trust your gut’ after doctor’s malpractice
“I later learned he had a pattern of doing this to mothers. It’s unfortunately a very real reality for mothers of chronically ill children.”
‘She will be in a wheelchair her entire life.’: 6-year-old walks for first time after widowed dad raises 100k for life-changing surgery
“She has defied all odds.”
‘The very best thing we could have ever done.’: Special needs mom raises feeding tube awareness
“I no longer cried countless tears over calories. I no longer looked into my child’s terrified eyes when the bottle would come near him. I no longer frantically called my mom asking if 2 ounces was all he really consumed that day.”
‘I am tired.’: Special needs mom urges ‘this massive weight of motherhood, it’s always with me’
“It’s the weight of the next doctor appointment. It’s the weight of new diagnoses added to our plate. It’s the weight of remembering which specialist follow-up is due in which month at which hospital. It’s the weight of am I doing enough for her, what more should I be doing, and why do I feel so alone while I am doing it all?”
‘You’re perfect for each other.’ In her presence, I felt I could be something more than what I was.’: Woman shares beautiful journey with her guide dog
“She walked me across the stage to get two degrees. She helped me meet new people and form lasting friendships. All she asked for in return were belly rubs.”
‘In the last minutes of her first senior year game, she screamed in pain as she fell to the ground, her ACL torn.’: Daughter’s inspiring journey to appreciating life despite ‘the change of the sails’
“She had big plans for this year. She was in talks with many college coaches about playing for them the following school year. And then, BAM. With one unfortunate soccer play, her life changed dramatically and instantly.”
‘You can do all the same things ‘so-and-so’ did and your child still may not achieve the same things.’: Special needs mom urges ‘go easy on yourself’
“I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m not saying to give up. I’m not saying don’t try. I’m saying it’s okay. It’s okay if you do it all and still fall short of the goal. I’m saying it’s not your fault.”
‘I may not be who you expected, but I am exactly who I am supposed to be.’: Mom pens touching letter from perspective of daughter with Down syndrome
“People will tell you I’ll be ‘delayed,’ but by whose standards? I’ll get there in my own time, on my own terms. Life is to be enjoyed, not to be measured by what I can do and at what age I do it.”
