“I had a hard time making friends. There were times I wished I had a ‘normal’ sibling who could talk, who I could share my secrets with. My mom showed me how much of a blessing it is to have Michael.”
‘You could have gotten rid of us because he’d be a burden. Your efforts are seen. You are heard.’: Twin to Down Syndrome brother writes beautiful thank you to DS mamas
‘His brother said, ‘I didn’t get to tell him goodbye today.’ All I could see were his little bare legs, dangling.’: Woman loses infant to SIDS, starts foundation in his honor, ‘Love pushes you to go on’
“She said, ‘It’s an emergency. It’s Knox.’ Looking to the back where he was, all I could see were those bare legs. I had no idea how much this decision would replay over in my head and haunt me.”
‘I notice the lump in my throat getting bigger. I fight back tears as my sons stare at me wide-eyed. I pray God will help me carry all this weight.’: Mom with anxiety urges ‘life is too short, throw in the towel’
“It’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re always taking care of everyone else. I’m struggling to find the balance between keeping it all together without falling apart and realizing when I need a break. I pray to God to help me carry all this weight.”
‘I was getting married in a month, they wanted me to have my operation ASAP. I had a panic attack in front of the nurse.’: Woman survives recurring skin cancer, ‘The support has been massive’
“That weekend was my bachelorette party. It was changing shape, getting very painful, and wasn’t normal. She said something I never expected her to say. Should I really put myself through this? It felt like the longest wait.”
‘I don’t see any red flags.’ He began screaming and running into walls. There was an 8-month waitlist. I wanted answers.’: Mom fights for son’s autism diagnosis, ‘My strength comes from him’
“I know you’re not supposed to compare, but I had friends with kids around the same age as Logan and seeing them together was eye-opening. ‘He has a mild delay.’ I couldn’t shake the feeling it was something bigger.”
‘I wouldn’t step out of the house in shorts or skirts because of the scars on my legs. ‘Why me?’ I was tired of crying out to God.’: Woman with rare Ollier’s Disease disorder and Scoliosis finds self acceptance, ‘I was handpicked’
“I became so caught up in trying to appear ‘normal’ I began to lose myself. At the end of the day, I felt like I was living a double life. I would often wear long sleeve shirts or jackets to hide my left arm. I wanted people to look beyond the scars and differences.”
‘He’s not going to cry! I can’t do this! HE IS NOT GOING TO CRY.’ I looked down and saw my perfect baby. I never wanted to forget his face.’: Mom of stillborn baby says, ‘I am a mom of four’
“The nurse asked me when the last time I felt the baby kick. I said, ‘2 hours. I’m sure I’m overreacting. We were put in a room at the far end of the ward. I assumed it was so we wouldn’t hear any babies cry, but I later realized it was so no one else would hear us scream and cry in the agony that was to come.”
‘Two generations ago, I would have lived in an institution.’ There’s a buzz in the air. A new day is approaching in the world of disability!’: Wife of man with cerebral palsy becomes disability advocate, ‘Let’s crack this dialogue open together’
“I was the most apprehensive, uneasy person he ever met. Me. The person who went on to marry him, and have kids and a life with him. Very simply put, I got over it. The chair, the speech impediment, all of it. I’m happy I got brave enough to get to know this whole and magnificent human.”
‘Jango bit down on Hunter’s leg and violently shook him like a rag doll. He’d ask, ‘Why would God let this happen?’: After terrifying dog attack, boy learns to thrive with prosthesis
“A resident called me over and spat out medical terms. I heard a word I recognized, one that will forever haunt me: ‘Amputation.’ My knees crumbled beneath me. A member of the hospital staff caught me by the arm. ‘I think you should sit down.’”
‘Please end his suffering.’ The universe heard me wrong. He was only 8. Now one was sick and the other, gone.’: After losing son, mom teaches others how grief can lead to empowerment
“‘Please put an end to his pain. He had over 300 seizures. My husband shouted, ‘There has been an accident!’ A phone call confirmed a mother’s worst nightmare.”