“‘Amputate my legs?! Never in my life.’ I wasn’t ready. Thus started a whole new phase of my life. I had to make the best out of what I’ve been through.”
‘Who would want a girl with no legs?’ I defied the doctor’s advice until my body BEGGED me to stop.’: Amputee with spina bifida urges ‘life has no guarantees’
‘We need to talk. We’re not sure Max is a fit here.’ We were getting hurt by our son, and had no help.’: Mom advocates for Autistic son, ‘For the first time in many years, I felt like we could do this’
“’What do we do? Mom to mom, I CAN’T do this anymore. Please, PLEASE help me.’ We realized our battle would be uphill, but we’d survive.”
‘This is the winter of despair.’ It felt like the nail in the coffin. But I was reminded of something. This is an opportunity to make new traditions.’: Mom says ‘This year, I’ll make the magic for my family’
“It doesn’t have to be extravagant or overwhelming. Christmas morning can be a free-for-all, or we can make it last all day. And next year, because of the sacrifices we’ve all made to keep each other safe, we can be together.”
‘All I have to do is lose weight, and I’ll be happy forever.’ I had no idea what I was getting into. I wasn’t strong enough to live this way.’: Woman recovers from eating disorder, ‘It’s a battle’
“I knew I had a purpose. I knew it extended far beyond eating salads and running on the treadmill, and I just had to find it. It was the small bites of chocolate, the rest days, the drinking a fruity drink and not thinking about what was in it, and the freedom of knowing my eating disorder did not have me wrapped around its finger anymore.”
‘When people asked me for gift ideas, I’d smile and say, ‘Just wine and diapers!’ How else could I unwind? It never stopped at just one glass.’: Mom shares sobriety journey, ‘I’m a better mom’
“I entered the life-changing, magical world of motherhood. I had no clue what I was doing. Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. Crib vs. co-sleeping. It felt like there was nothing we moms could ever agree on. Well, except for one thing… wine.”
‘How could this be happening AGAIN?’ My heart couldn’t handle it.’: After near-death experience, mom welcomes daughter with spina bifida
“‘She’ll likely never walk and she may have brain damage.’ She gently offered termination. But we wanted to raise a strong, independent, and confident daughter. We had a PLAN.”
‘Just enough fat.’ He grabbed my stomach. ‘No one else will want you.’ He wanted to keep me in a box.’: Woman promotes body positivity, ‘Take control over how you see yourself’
“I tried to pull the pants up, and they wouldn’t go over my calves. She mocked me, saying I couldn’t fit in anything in the store.”
‘This is the best day of my life!’: Frozen’s Elsa and Anna deliver surprise wig to girl with Alopecia thanks to USPS worker’s kindness
“I’m not often moved to tears, but the way Caroline’s eyes lit up is something I will never forget.”
‘I convinced myself, ‘I’m not an alcoholic.’ Every time I had a drink, it led to a blackout. I was a sick person.’: Woman shares addiction recovery journey, ‘I love my life today’
“I’d binge and purge, drink, take pills, pass out. I was sure I wasn’t an alcoholic. A woman and her son gasped with disgust when they saw me, handcuffed and shackled. ‘How did I let this happen? How is this my life?’”
‘There’s a 50/50 chance of Down syndrome.’ I was floored. Those are the moments that mark you for life.’: Mom shares Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘He was the missing piece to our family’
“Those next 7 days were full of highs and lows, holding on to slivers of hope. My husband felt robbed. After two girls, he was looking forward to a little boy. We grieved the life we’d imagined.”