“‘Can my day just be done?,’ I heard her say. She then said a word that took me by surprise, and scared me: ‘Abort.’”
‘In the hall, I overheard the doctor saying she had ‘rough news’ to break. I walked out of the office in a haze.’: Mom keeps baby with Hydrocephalus despite pressure to abort, ‘she is my miracle’
‘She was in the hotel pool. The water looked murky. I noticed a red line running down her calf.’: Girl contracts Necrotizing Fasciitis, flesh-eating bacteria during vacation swim
“We were only allowed in the water to our ankles. We tried to make the best of our beach day. Monday morning, my daughter woke up with pain in her calf. I can’t help but feel sick to my stomach. We were on vacation, enjoying the warm weather and waves. Now, here we are, fighting to save her life.”
‘I had just watched my husband die, in the hospital, right in front of me. I NEEDED to change. Finally, I got a text. ‘Are you free to come in right now?’
“It was the one month anniversary of Albert’s death. ‘I trust you,’ I said.”
‘I stood in line, filling the medication that would remove the life within me. I looked at my fiancé. ‘I’m going home and grabbing my camera.’: Woman photographs friend’s birth while miscarrying, ‘Let’s not forget the mamas’
“I headed to the hospital. I remember being in the room, feeling blood dripping from my body. I watched my friend’s body bleed simultaneously, signs of life, as she waited to bring her baby into the world. A life leaving and a life beginning all in the same room at the same moment. I was transfixed.”
‘To the parents of Abigail.’ I was shuffling through the junk mail, before tossing it in the trash. But the last letter left me frozen. My heart began racing. I gasped as I read the name.’
“As I stared at the letter, my hand started shaking. I found myself holding my breath, paralyzed by the shock of the unexpected. Seeing her name in writing after so many years caught me off guard.”
You Won’t Be Everyone’s Cup Of Tea, And That’s OK
“We over-analyze texts. We wonder why we didn’t get the invite. We see glances, whispers and assume they’re directed at us. We try so hard to bend ourselves 50 different ways to fit a mold in hopes of somehow satisfying everyone else, only to leave ourselves feeling empty. But, why? For what? This is YOUR journey. Stop doubting your own decisions. Stop looking over your shoulder. Stop trying to please everyone else.”
‘I love you,’ I whispered. I checked his arm, and noticed there was a needle mark. I don’t know how I held myself together from SCREAMING his name, praying he’d snap out of it.’
“He tried to call me, but I was asleep and missed his call. Then my mom called. ‘Get to the hospital immediately,’ she said. I knew it was about him. I didn’t know the situation, so I got there in 4 minutes. My mind was racing.”
‘I kept my baby. Even though I was 16, when everyone told me ‘kids shouldn’t have kids’ or that I’d ‘ruin my life,’ I kept my baby.’: Teen mom explains why she ‘kept her baby’ at 16-years-old
“I knew some would think I slept around, that I was promiscuous. I knew that girls would talk. I knew there was a pill that could ‘take it all away.’ But I knew that was a lie anyway.”
‘I peeked in her bedroom. As I walked closer, I looked at her white feet and knew something was wrong. My brain snapped.’ Mother tragically loses daughter to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
“‘I’m sorry, we have to do this when a child dies in the home. It’s so hard for you,’ the investigator said. They found no cause of death. It is so rare, and the last thing I want to do is cause fear in someone else, but it’s a very real and possible thing that can happen.”
‘Where does Nana live?’ You’ll think of her when a stranger walks by and you have to do a double take because for a minute, you could have sworn it was her.’
“You’ll think about the sound of her voice and the way her hugs felt. You’ll think about the ways she cared about every little detail of your day. You’ll think of her until one day, you realize thinking of her no longer hurts.”