“Your growth would probably be slower than other babies. You might have trouble walking or talking or eating or going to school. We wouldn’t know until we knew. One thing we knew: you are scrappy as hell.”
‘This is hell,’ my husband sobbed. We shouldn’t have googled his potential diagnosis. ‘It can’t be real!’: Son diagnosed with rare Noonan Syndrome, ‘Our feelings for you never changed’
‘There was a long post shared. It was from the niece — her aunt is in hospice. I truly wish all those prayers would work.’: Woman hurts for those struggling with cancer journey, ‘It feels SO unfair’
“I scrolled her page. My tears kept falling.”
‘As I went through my daughter’s camera roll, I came across a photo of this blanket. I smiled. Suddenly, my problems didn’t seem so big.’: Widow thanks daughter on day of husband’s death, ‘The girl who smiled when it seemed impossible’
“Every year, we go back to try to find it – that peace from this horrible grief. Except this year, they were closed. Just that night. To sanitize.”
‘This poor child’s hair was all matted, her clothes dirty. School is not just an outlet for education, it’s a safe haven.’: Woman urges ‘think about the negelcted child’ during school reopening crisis
“There’s a ton of people complaining about opening the schools too soon, but have you sat and thought about the kid who is being neglected? They’re wishing for an escape, a meal, a friend.”
‘My son may not look at you all the time, but he absolutely sees you.’: Mom shares lessons from autistic son
“Rory, my nonverbal son with autism, doesn’t make eye contact. At times, he approaches other moms with hair like mine. Sometimes, he approaches other dads who are tall and thin like his dad. For a long time, I thought he didn’t really know who we all are.”
‘He had red dots all over his body. ‘He needs to be seen in the ER right away.’ No one would look at us. I was in shock.’: Mom of 9-month-old with Acute Myeloid Leukemia says ‘We’ve been given a second chance’
“You know it isn’t good when the doctor sits down at eye level with you. Josh and I took turns holding Holden and crying. We could feel how they all pitied us. We prepared to fight.”
‘She was sent home with ‘acid reflux.’ She felt like a wet noodle. At 4 months, she was acting like a brand new baby.’: Mom advocates for undiagnosed, medically-complex warrior
“At 6 weeks old, her breathing became worrisome. She had spells of turning blue in the face. She sounded like a baby piglet. The skin around her neck sucked in with every breath. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she was just different.”
‘The guilt strikes me. I think about the long list of things I have to do. And then, I wonder, ‘What is wrong with me?’: Tired mama vents to a friend and is reminded it’s OK to need rest
“I vented to a friend. I asked her, ‘What is wrong with me?’ She wrote back. There is only so much one can take.”
‘I came home from camp with the worst sore throat of my life. The horse I’d ridden mysteriously died the night I got sick.’: Woman details chronic illness journey, finds ‘silver lining’ service dog
“At 12 years old, everything shifted. My life as I knew it changed forever. Our family physician called us late one night when he saw the test results. ‘I just don’t know what to make of this.’ Even the lightest touch of a cotton ball could bring me to tears. My foot was drastically changing colors and temperatures.”
‘My thighs touch. No matter what, they stick together like glue. I never wear shorts, not even in hot as heck Florida.’: Mom urges self-love, ‘These imperfections are the least interesting thing about me’
“Whether I’m sitting, standing, walking, running, my thighs touch. I don’t have eyebrow hair. At my height of 5’3″, my BMI is in the ‘overweight’ range. I never wear shorts anymore. You see, I’ve always been body-conscious.”