“While I sometimes long to feel the naivety I felt before that day, I know I am exactly the person I am meant to be right now. I’ve gained confidence and a voice I didn’t know I had. I will ALWAYS fight for him.”
‘He is SO loved already.’ No matter what, we were having this baby. The news did not change anything.’: Mom has baby with CHARGE Syndrome, ‘I find such joy in our life’
‘The doctor called. ‘There’s been an accident.’ We begged them to hear us. It seemed like they was giving up.’: Couple loses miracle baby to hospital error, ‘I dream of her, and know she’s ok’
“‘They saw a leak when they changed her feeding tube. ‘It should heal on its own.’ We BEGGED them to listen.”
‘Something’s different.’ I felt the vibrations on my skin, but I didn’t hear anything. My heart dropped.’: Mom shares hearing loss journey, ‘The sky’s the limit’
“Would I ever hear my boyfriend say the words ‘I love you’ to me again? How was I going to have a career? ‘Perhaps you’d make a good audiologist.’ I wanted to help others.”
‘I think it’s happening again.’ I tried to bury my fears, but couldn’t deny it. Lightning had struck twice.’: Sisters diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ infantile spasms, ‘They share a deep connection’
“We were sent home with shattered dreams and heavy hearts. They didn’t make eye contact and ate through a tube. Doctors told us we’d have to wait for science to catch up. Their ‘Good luck’ as we walked out the door felt like a kick in the gut.”
‘There’s no cure.’ He had cysts on his brain. We were at a dead end. I was beyond devastated, but I had to fight.’: Mom advocates for son born with hearing loss, CMV, ‘He’s made me stronger’
“He suddenly had microcephaly, and none of us understood why. I was terrified. He was so tiny and fragile. All of this was because I contracted a virus while pregnant. I felt so guilty.”
‘Thank God he’s leaving,’ someone said loudly. I whipped around. ‘He has autism.’ My blood BOILED.’: Mom advocates for son with autism, ‘We’re stepping into his world’
“Suddenly, he lost ALL his words. ‘Have you heard him talk recently?’ He stopped making eye contact and couldn’t sleep through the night. We grieved a life we had imagined for our son.”
‘You should leave me. Be with a woman who can give you a child.’ I’d go from screaming to sobbing on the floor. I felt broken.’: Couple battling infertility welcome IVF baby, ‘Never lose hope’
“I found out we weren’t pregnant. 8 hours later, friends of ours told us they were expecting. I’ve never felt so defeated, so broken, so less like a woman in my entire life. I thought everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around.”
‘The test was positive.’ My heart stopped. The world came crashing down around me. I thought my life was ending.’: Man diagnosed with HIV becomes advocate, ‘My world is brighter’
“All I could think was, ‘I’m going to die.’ How would I tell my parents and friends? I found myself sitting on the beach, staring into the ocean. I wanted to throw myself in and not come back. I wanted this pain to be gone.”
‘I’m so sorry. They all died.’ My dreams SHATTERED. I was afraid I’d never get to be a mother.’: Couple battling male-factor infertility share path to parenthood, ‘I’m proud to be their mom’
“It was like a knife was stuck into my chest, over and over again. My worst fears were realized. My plan was to be a mom. JUST. A. MOM. Then my husband said, ‘Let’s use donor sperm.’ He gave me hope.”
‘Are you going to keep her?’ We never thought it would happen to us. I prayed for her to be ‘normal.’: Mom details Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘She’s changed our lives’
“We were angry. We were scared. We tried to talk ourselves into believing the test was wrong. ‘Why did you choose me to be her mother?’ I felt so inadequate to raise a child with special needs.”