“The redness was spreading down his neck. When he woke at 6 a.m. I screamed to my husband, ‘Get in the car!’ His eye was so swollen the white part was bulging out from between his eyelid and his iris was obscured. He felt hot to the touch. A temperature check revealed a raging fever.”
“Weeks from our wedding I was told, ‘You have cancer.’ He arrived at the hospital reeking of perfume. ‘I found someone. I’m in love. She’s pregnant.’ He left our fairytale for the woman I sat next to at his company dinner. She’d just rubbed my pregnant belly.”
“My water broke at 22 weeks. I spent weeks on bedrest at home with 4 kids under 4. We spent 8 weeks separated, me in a hospital bed, begging God to bring my boy into the world healthy.”
“I was wheeled next to her incubator and remember seeing her full head of hair. But I didn’t feel happy. I felt helpless. I couldn’t hold her, bond with her, or breastfeed her. I remember thinking, ‘What do I do?’ I went to Dr. Google for answers, and that just led me into a downward spiral of despair. How could I raise a child with special needs? I didn’t even know how to raise a typical child.”
“I was toxic. ‘You need emergency surgery.’ The thought of having a bag was the worst thing possible. I refused to discuss it.”
“I was young, outgoing, had a car, a job, and a boyfriend. But I blacked out often. The truth is, I was barely holding on.”
“I victimized myself into a life I absolutely hated, because I thought I HAD to be like everybody else.”
‘I gathered the courage to ask, ‘Would you let me paint your head?’ She’d hidden her baldness under a wig most of her life.”
“I’ve sat in my bed asking, ‘Why God? Why can’t I breathe like everyone else?’ I’ve wondered if I should even try to build a career, friendships, or have love in my life because I’m going to die. Then I realized I will never be able to control the cards I’ve been dealt, but I can make the decision to never stop pursuing my dreams.”
“I used to watch ‘The Price is Right’ every morning. It was my jam. Today, I absolutely laugh at the idea. I barely have enough time to drink my espresso, much less sip on a mug of coffee for an hour.”
