“How was I supposed to tell my mom before she died? I had a dream she was holding the baby as they stood in the clouds. ‘I’ll take care of him until he’s ready to enter the world.’ I clung to those words.”
‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’ I came out of the bathroom, shaking. I was terrified to tell the father. I’d made such a mess of my life.’: Birth mom details open adoption journey, ‘Everything fell into place’
‘He stopped speaking.’ I was scared. I didn’t recognize my child. We were on our own now.’: Mom of Autistic boy says, ‘I love him with every fiber of my being’
“My entire world came crashing down. We finally knew WHY he was different.”
‘Tomorrow, your foot won’t be there.’ It looked like it went through a garbage disposal. I was devastated.’: Amputee shares self-acceptance journey, ‘Being different should be EMBRACED’
“I looked down at my foot. ‘They’re just gonna chop it off? That’s cool.’ At 5 years old, I learned a life lesson many people struggle with into adulthood: self-acceptance.”
‘I told myself, ‘It won’t last forever.’ I was self-conscious about my looks. It was holding me back.’: Woman with Treacher Collins Syndrome says ‘I choose to feel nothing but empowered’
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
‘The results came back 90% positive.’ My world crumbled. This wasn’t our plan. This wasn’t how we envisioned our family.’: Mom shares Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘We’re LUCKY’
“You’ll grieve the life you thought your child would live. You’ll wonder why this happened to you and your family and your baby. You’ll wonder if you did something to deserve this. And all those thoughts are okay. That’s how you get to the other side.”
‘This has been a hard journey. I know the want to give up. This road isn’t meant to be walked alone.’: Woman pens open letter to chronic illness warriors, ‘I’m fighting beside you’
“You can be in your bed, on a couch, in a hospital room, or a doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter where your life is taking place. There’s a beautiful life waiting for all of us if we choose it.”
‘You don’t need that, FAKER!’ She tried to muster energy to make it to the store. People rolled their eyes. I was powerless.’: Sisters battle multiple chronic illnesses, ‘We’ve gained a stronger bond’
“I crawled to the bathroom and couldn’t stand up without blacking out. ‘It’s a miracle you can even sit upright.’ I felt like I was drugged.”
‘I’ll deal with it when I graduate.’ I was drinking daily, but had NO CLUE how to ask for help. I was always reaching for the next drink.’: Woman overcomes alcohol addiction, ‘I’m healing’
“I bought a dog. I bought a house. Everyone thought I was doing great. But I had bottles of alcohol all around my house. I would wake up with full resolve to never drink again, and would find myself with a bottle in my hand by the evening. Things got really dark, really fast.”
‘It’s bad, and it’s everywhere. There’s too much to take out.’ I fell into his arms. We fought through the grief to stay one.’: Couple battling infertility adopts two sons, ‘We see perfection’
“I lived with a Fentanyl patch, which barely touched the pain. My uterus was sitting on my pelvic floor and had compromised my bladder. Our dream of two or three children became a hope we could just get ONE.”
‘What’s wrong with my baby?’ Her head was measuring large and her femurs were small. We were in denial this could happen to us.’: New mom births baby with dwarfism, ‘It DOESN’T define her’
“Everything had gone so wrong. ‘Did I eat something I shouldn’t have? Get exposed to something harmful?’ What was supposed to be the happiest part of our lives had turned into a nightmare.”