“He was born full-term, weighing just two pounds. He gained five pounds. Then the seizures started. All we saw were tubes, PICC lines, and NG tubes. We weren’t getting any answers.”
‘This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.’ We were starting to lose hope. What was going on with our baby?’: Couple advocates for son’s rare diagnosis, Cutis Laxa Type 3, ‘He’s a warrior’
‘Xander may only have one or two years to live.’ We were completely blindsided. I’m not supposed to outlive my son.’: Mom feels ‘helpless’ through son’s heart transplant and liver cancer, ‘I can’t give up’
“A year after his transplant, Xander started throwing up. I rushed him to the E.R. because I thought he was facing organ rejection. The words were crippling. I wanted to grab the cancer with my bare hands and fight it to death.”
‘At 18 months old, his friend said, ‘BACKPACK!’ My son was 2 and not talking. I didn’t feel like I was doing a good job.’: Mom runs marathons for Autism awareness, ‘I’ve never been running this race alone’
“I decided, ‘I’ll give him till three to see if he starts saying more words.’ We were having more meltdowns and a difficult time consoling him. Meeting all his needs became tough. I didn’t have a ‘real’ diagnosis. I started to dig.”
‘It was like watching someone meet their soulmate. None of them knew when it would be their last time together.’: Mom says even ‘bare minimum’ back in classroom is a ‘game changer’
“They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It was something truly special to watch.”
‘I cannot gain weight. Forget it. I’d rather suffer. Aren’t people who take meds crazy?’’: Woman accepts anxiety medication; ‘I was back to being the mom my daughter knew’
“I saw a psychologist who said my anxiety was way too intense and all-consuming. I would weigh myself twice a day and ask people a million times, ‘Do I look fat?’ After a few weeks, the medication started to kick in. Unfortunately, the weight started to come on.”
‘My daughter cried over a man I allowed into her life. It was one of my lowest points. I trusted too easily.’: Widow shares grief journey and destructive relationship, ‘I am enough’
“He took everything he could, and walked away like we were nothing. He used my daughter to get closer to me. I no longer understood ‘normal.’ Life had to resume, because he said so. I was a widow.”
‘Mom, I got 2 shirts! I look SO cool!’ It takes you back to that painful moment. You start to count the days.’: Foster mom describes journey, ‘It will make your head spin’
“I hear, ‘I would never be able to give a child back.’ It’s chaotic and heart wrenching. There are times you want your peaceful home back. Love isn’t always wanting what’s best for someone.”
‘I can’t be the reason your child got sick and died. It would ruin me. There is no EASY answer.’: Elementary speech and language pathologist shares why returning to school isn’t worth the risk
“I’m going to have to tell your kindergartners they can’t hold hands, even though we spend SO MUCH TIME teaching kids to be friends with each other. I’m going to have to tell that shy, little boy who reaches for my hand for some security, he can’t hold my hand.”
‘I slipped in the most dramatic fashion. All of us laughed. This wouldn’t have happened this time last year.’: Mom enjoys ‘beautiful moment’ after struggle to find right antidepressant
“There is no shame in needing help. None. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have been present. I would have wanted to leave.”
‘In my head I screamed, ‘No! No!’ You don’t know what it’s like to only be left with a bloody photo.’: Woman grieves infertility journey and tubal pregnancy loss, ‘I want people to feel less alone’
“I shouted, ‘No! That’s not an option. My baby HAS to be okay.’ While high on Oxycontin I realized why people become drug addicts. I went to bed not knowing if I’d wake up.”