“There was something about him that stuck out. I read his profile, saved his picture, and sent it to my best friend. ‘Look how precious this boy is!’ I went on with my day. But to be honest, I never really moved on.”
‘Could I be his family?’ I couldn’t stand how he was still waiting. Sometimes I’d just cry for him. He needed a family.’: Single woman pursues special needs adoption
‘My best friend said, ‘You’re too depressing to be around. All you talk about is your pain and sickness. You need to hold it all in, or I won’t be your friend anymore.’: Woman written off by society finds ‘unconditional love’ in chronic illness community
“For 8 years, I couldn’t get the medicine I needed because doctors suggested I was complaining about nothing. They dismissed me with, ‘It’s all in your head.’ I became an expert at denying my own pain. I resigned from my job. Being sick was not something people wanted to hear about.”
‘I have a bad feeling.’ Suddenly, I saw commotion. His diaper had fused to his lower back. I could smell his skin.’: Mom shares 2-year-old burn survivor’s journey
“The fire pit was about 5 feet away. I stood up to get a better view and what I saw would haunt me. I wanted so badly to end his pain.”
‘I’ll take it.’ She was very sick, and he loved her so much. He knew she didn’t have long.’: Man writes touching story of lifelong friend, ‘You will always have a place in my heart’
“I was thinking, ‘No, I don’t want to try to sell them a car. Not in this situation.’ I was just trying to make a wish happen for this woman, and she was smiling from ear to ear.”
‘She’s carrying a real baby in there? And she can’t see?!’ I’m a woman with a guide dog and a chunky baby strapped to me.’: Blind mother urges ‘be kind with your words’
“I’ve been out today once and heard it all in the space of twenty minutes. Masks don’t muffle your voice as much as you think.”
‘You’re the parent who tries everything and gets nowhere, but still doesn’t give up.’: Woman pens ode to parents of children battling mental illness
“The waitlists for qualified providers are years long. Others who have no idea what it’s like to sit in an ER for days waiting for a psych bed to open insist your child’s symptoms of mental illness are a result of ‘bad parenting.’ Or worse, your child just being ‘bad.'”
‘They had better things to do than feed him.’ He was blue and resembled an alien. ‘OF COURSE, we’ll take him!’: Foster parents adopt shaken baby survivor
“’We have a 2-month-old baby boy, failure to thrive.’ I had never seen anything like him. My husband had tears in his eyes as the caseworker filled us in. They didn’t expect him to do much. That sweet baby boy had given up, but we were not giving up on him.”
‘I saw a 5-year-old being transferred to an institution. ‘We might not get him in time.’ He HAD to be ours.’: Couple adopts special-needs children, ‘Every heart needs a home’
“Our baby had his first open-heart surgery at 3 days old. The timing couldn’t have been worse for adopting someone else. We began the process shortly before heading back to the hospital. Every child deserves a chance.”
‘I submitted a refund request for the trip we planned for a year. My son said, ‘Well, I guess I’ll never get a prom.’: Mom reminds us kids are affected by the pandemic too
“’I just really wanted to go to Europe, I’ve wanted to go my whole life.’ This is what I said to my husband. He was laid off from his job and then didn’t work all summer. ‘Mom, I am so mad.’”
‘He hates his teacher threatening him to send the principal’s office. It doesn’t work because I’m too soft and tired.’: Mom learns important lesson from son, ‘their innocence is worth keeping a little bit longer’
“He said to it, ‘It’s okay little guy, you’ll be safe here.’ He scooped it up and brought it to me. I realized even though we weren’t ‘schooling’ together, we were both learning.”