“The dent in the wall? It’s from me. The toy I’m holding? Yep, I threw it against the wall in a fit of tears.”
‘LEAVE ME ALONE.’ I hurled a toy at the wall. It looked like a tornado struck our basement. I hit my LOWEST point.’: Mom shares candid reality of parenting in a pandemic, ‘We’re trying our best’
‘This is a mistake! She CAN’T be mine.’ I turned everyone away from the hospital. I thought I ruined our lives.’: Special needs mom details Down syndrome journey
“My vision of perfection vanished and I felt disconnected. It was painful to say the words. But it had been her all along.”
‘Her cries sounded painful. ‘Did she nap today? Do you think she’s hungry?’ But I knew it wasn’t that.’: Mom navigates daughter’s autism diagnosis, ‘I’m so proud to be her mama’
“She’d fling her head back every night. Her behaviors became violent. I suspected something greater was going on, but I sold myself the idea she’d catch up in her own time. The wait and see remained.”
‘We aren’t just going to let him die!’ I slammed my hands on the table. I knew this wouldn’t be our story.’: Baby survives terminal NKH diagnosis, ‘We take note of every little miracle’
“They printed out a sheet from Google explaining the condition. ‘He’ll never leave the NICU.’ He had his first seizure and stopped breathing. I knew God would heal him.”
‘Your daughter needs a psych eval. She’s doing this to herself.’ I knew something was wrong.’: Woman describes journey with Chronic Lyme disease, ‘I turned my pain into purpose’
“Doctors loaded me up with medication and sent me to therapy. ‘It’s all in your head.’ I had no desire to live. I was grieving my old life.”
‘URGENT ADOPTION’ was in red marker. She left me breathless. I BEGGED for help. The fight was ON.’: Grieving couple inspired to adopt baby with Down syndrome
“I covered my mouth and held back tears. I felt like the entire earth had dropped out from under me. If I’m being truthful, I never thought it would be MY baby.”
‘You should prepare for lifelong care.’ Her little face made my heart go pitter-patter. I knew what we were in for.’: Couple adopts girls with autism, cerebral palsy, ‘Our family is complete’
“He labeled her ‘severe.’ Over the next weeks, I cried, I drank. One day, I just decided. This little girl didn’t need a mama paralyzed with fear. She needed a mama ready to take action.”
‘It’s like being stung by a thousand bees.’ No one knew why I was in pain. And no one knew why the pain was spreading.’: Woman describes journey with Lyme disease, ‘It made me who I am’
“Even a feather-light touch could send me screaming in agony. It felt like I was being stabbed in my spine, over and over again. At a time when I could’ve really used a hug… I couldn’t receive one.”
‘I was terrified of being ‘found out.’ I was taught by my church I wasn’t allowed to love, I was either ‘of God’ or ‘of Satan.’ It nearly cost me my life.’: LGBTQ man shares childhood trauma, homophobic upbringing, ‘We are poisoning a generation’
“At that moment I knew I had made a big mistake. I knew I shouldn’t have been there. I knew it was time for me to go. As I started to look for a way out, I was approached by an older man who said, ‘You look lost.’ In this world, I didn’t have to hide ‘what’ I was. I felt desired, special, and adored.”
‘What you see is what you get. If you only see the world’s problems, THAT’S what you’ll get.’: Woman urges ‘focus on what gives you peace’
“And nothing has been harder than having to try to stay in your lane, live purposefully, mindfully, and with lasting gratitude, during the seemingly never-ending (and, perhaps, disastrous?) year that is 2020.”