“I told my husband I was heading to the hospital for fluids. ‘Same story, different day?’ The nurse turned the monitors away from me. That’s when everything changed.”
‘It’s not her, it’s him. She isn’t leaving.’ I sat there, wide-eyed, waiting for them to explain. I thought I was hurting my baby.’: Preemie warrior graduates NICU after emotional 67-day stay
‘My brother is homeless and struggling with addiction. Every single day I cry for him, knowing the pain he goes through. I search for him ALL the time.’: Mother details sober journey after being prescribed pain pills
“I was fighting an addiction placed upon me by my doctor. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I go out there all the time to search for him.”
‘I came home at nineteen, married and pregnant. ‘You’re too young, you’ll regret this.’ ALL eyes were on me, waiting for a mistake.’: Pastor’s daughter details journey to discovering self-worth
“I drove out in the middle of nowhere. My plan was to hit a tree at a high rate of speed. And then my daughter called me.”
‘My world FROZE. ‘I’ll never get to do the things I want with her.’ Am I even cut out for this?’: New mom births ‘perfect’ baby girl with Down syndrome, ‘She is our angel’
“‘She looks like she has Down syndrome.’ I quickly brushed it off and told him he was overreacting. Then the pediatrician came in.”
‘What’s something you REALLY need?’ I heard horror stories. I wanted to help them build a BETTER life.’: Man starts nonprofit to help homeless, ‘Our goal is HOPE’
“Daniel put his head in his hands and began to cry. ‘Someone stole ALL of my belongings.’ He didn’t even have a shirt. A light bulb lit up in my head.”
‘Are you constantly aware of your heartbeat?’ I was confused. Couldn’t everyone feel their heartbeat all the time?.’: Woman overcomes two open-heart surgeries
“I vividly remember putting my signature on a piece of paper that said, ‘Side effects: stroke and death.’ I turned to my family and said, ‘I’ve just signed my life away.'”
‘You’re newly pregnant and this little girl is a lot of work. If you need us to find her a new home, it’s okay.’ I didn’t want an ‘easier’ kid. I wanted her.’: Foster mom shares special needs adoption
“The social worker said, ‘This is the largest file I have.’ So much was going on. There was an intense amount of outer, anger, and lies. It broke me she was legally an orphan.”
‘I recorded a video for my daughter in case I didn’t make it. ‘Mommy loves you more than life itself.’ It was suffocating.’: Mom undergoes second open-heart surgery, ‘Every day, I wake up grateful’
“I walked to my car, sobbing. This wasn’t the news I had expected. Suddenly, every scenario of my daughter growing up without a mom went flashing through my mind.”
‘They die early. They don’t even live long.’ Why couldn’t my peers treat PEOPLE like PEOPLE? I decided to help.’: Woman advocates for those with Down syndrome, ‘I want their voices to be heard’
“‘You have a lot of nerve and patience to spend all your time with them.’ I’m LUCKY to be surrounded by all of this love.”
‘I’m afraid your dad isn’t going to make it.’ I had to come up with $45,000, in the middle of a pandemic.’: Daughter dresses as Disney princesses to give dying father second chance at life
“Every girl thinks their dad is the best one in the world. I’m not exaggerating when I say, I won the father lottery. Now, it was my time to give back. ‘I’m going to save him!’ This was bigger than my pride, bigger than anything in the world.”