“I starved myself Saturday through Thursday, only eating six pretzels and half an apple every day. Then Friday came and I’d black out. That was my life. I lived for food.”
‘The thinner I got, the more attention I received. I decided to quit eating altogether.’: Eating disorder survivor opens up about self-love, ‘I’m at peace with my body’
‘I was surrounded by beautiful fat women I adored and admired, and I watched them hate their bodies.’: Woman shares self love journey, ‘I move with freedom’
“I saw my mom tell herself she’d get back into her size 10 Levi’s someday. I saw women in bikinis being ridiculed on magazine covers. My body was something I was stuck inside of that I wasn’t happy with.”
‘Are babies supposed to breathe that fast?’ I couldn’t shake the feeling something was terribly wrong.’: Mom shares newborn’s journey with congenital heart defect, ‘He’s THRIVING’
“At his 48-hour checkup, Liam looked perfect. He was gaining weight beautifully. I had a strange feeling. ‘He’s breathing 90 times per minute.’ That sentence made the doctors pause.”
‘He was on the brink of tears. ‘I’m doing a bad job in first grade.’ I haven’t given him nearly enough credit.’: Mom details parenting through pandemic, ‘Hug your little superheroes today’
“We’ve thanked everyone from healthcare workers to grocery store employees, but we haven’t thanked the kids enough for bearing the burden of what we’ve put on their shoulders this year.”
‘After watching my daughter fight for her life, I realized I had to fight for our family. I needed to heal.’: Single mom shares daughter’s journey with Down syndrome, ‘We’re growing together’
“My husband had been cheating on me and they were pregnant. I remember thinking, ‘Her daughter will live longer than mine.’ I had to give her the best life.”
‘Our newborn photographer said, ‘Coincidentally, my daughter has it too.’ I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon, it will be scarred forever.’: Mom details emotional journey with son’s Congenital Heart Disease
“I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon enough, it will be scarred forever.’ Every day, I am reminded of my son’s disease in the form of an exclamation point on his chest.”
‘As we pulled away, he cried, ‘MOM!’ My heart burst with so much emotion. He was saying goodbye to everything he knew.’: Couple shares adoption journey, ‘They are IMMENSELY loved’
“My eyes welled up with tears instantly. There he was. An adorable, chubby-cheeked 9-month-old boy. ‘He’s ours, isn’t he?’ No one quite understood the ache we had in our hearts to have him home.”
‘College is NOT an option for you.’ It was a defining moment. My body gave up, but I was ARMED with newfound determination.’: Young woman shares journey with Cerebral Palsy, ‘I had to learn to embrace myself’
“I went into the hospital that day thinking my life was going to change for the better, but instead, it was worse than ANYONE could’ve imagined. I had to take control and shock EVERYONE.”
‘I left work to become a stay-at-home mom. I ceased to ‘exist.’ I expended all my energy, but had little to show for it.’: Mom starts journaling business for kids, ‘I wanted to work on MY TIME’
“There were things which took me by surprise when I left the corporate world, the most important realization was I didn’t WANT to be a stay-at-home mom. My feelings of loneliness led me to create a practice of gratitude.”
‘I drove with a huge cooler full of milk, sobbing. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.’: Mom donates 10,000 ounces of breast milk to moms in need
“Breastfeeding may be natural, but that absolutely does not mean it is easy.”