“He would wash his hands up to his armpits, position himself on the couch with a blanket, and eagerly wait for his turn to hold and stare at his nephew. He would do anything for you.”
‘My son calls out, ‘Are you Uncle Carterrrr?’ and kisses pictures. It hurts to know your struggles were so heavy.’: Woman mourns loss of baby brother, ‘You are still so loved’
‘My sister called. ‘Rachel is thirsty. I think she has heat exhaustion.’ She stopped breathing. I was on the phone as they started CPR.’: Mom loses daughter to undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes
“She was moodier than usual, but she was turning 12. ‘Hormones, right?’ She started complaining about leg cramps and throwing up after running. When the coroner’s office called, we were told, ‘You missed the symptoms.’ Rachel was gone, and she was not coming back.”
‘We should have a bio child first.’ The fetus grew into a tumor. We were discouraged from fostering.’: Woman with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease fosters son, ‘You can change the world’
“Only one mother showed up at ‘Family Day.’ It broke my heart. Our friends and family discouraged us from moving forward. All I could think about was how Alex didn’t have a choice.”
‘I was coughing so much I fractured my rib. ‘I will fight for myself and my baby.’ I gave my life to bringing a baby into the world.’: Woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta gives birth to healthy baby, ‘Never give up on your dreams’
“The doctor wouldn’t test my hormones. I was livid. ‘If you don’t give me an exact reason, I’m going to disregard your opinion.’ I know people were scared, but so was I.”
‘The doctor came in, and instantly, the room felt off. ‘I’m surprised your baby made it this far.’ I felt like I blacked out.’: After multiple miscarriages, mom gives birth to baby with Trisomy 13, ‘To us, he was perfect’
“We saw a heartbeat. This was actually happening. But I couldn’t shake the fear. I kept saying to people, ‘IF we bring this baby home.’ That’s when the words came: ‘There are multiple things wrong with your baby.’ We got to the parking lot, and I just screamed.”
‘I was already a month along. My boyfriend had passed away a week before. I was completely in shock.’: Mom grieves during pregnancy with late boyfriend’s daughter, ‘He is still around in spirit’
“We were two young college kids who had moved for a fresh start. All we had was each other to lean on. I was with the man of my dreams, going to a school I loved, and working a job that made me happy every day. It felt like my whole world ended. How would I be a single, first-time mom?”
‘My son was taken away from me and placed with his grandparents while his father sat in jail. I would come face to face with the devil himself’: Mom recounts struggles with alcoholism, ‘It’s not an easy road’
“I began partying with a different crowd, mixing Xanax and vodka to help me cope. It was during this time I met the father. I was introduced to the reality of just how mean people can be.”
‘Something is not right!’ One eye was smaller than the other, but doctors kept telling me he was okay. I knew I was going to have to fight.’: Woman gives birth to son with rare genetic disorder, ‘I have found my purpose’
“I lost over 30 pounds. I also lost my hair. I threw up constantly, even throwing up blood. Something inside me told me to keep fighting. When my son came out, he wasn’t crying. I knew that moment something was wrong with him. Nobody was listening to me.”
‘If something happens, I’ll never be the same. I can’t lose another baby.’ He coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. I started to scream.’: Woman loses rainbow baby to Alloimmune Liver Disease, ‘He made me a better mother’
“I finally got to hold him skin to skin. It took everything in me not to cry the entire time. He was perfect. He was everything. When I woke up, people were running everywhere; our doctor was giving orders. ‘His blood pressure is dropping.’ I wasn’t going to lose him, I couldn’t.”
‘We are past time for you to call family. Your dad is not going to make it.’ ‘He was fine yesterday. What do you mean he is not going to make it?’: Woman who lost parents to bile duct cancer writes tribute to father, ‘He was my best bud’
“He was moaning and groaning. I asked everyone in the room what had happened and what was going on. The head nurse shared that my Dad awoke around 3 a.m. in excruciating pain. That one instance led to my dad’s demise. And it was all my fault. That is what the enemy wanted me to believe.”