“She asked pressing questions about parts of parenting we hadn’t even considered. ‘Do you plan to say at home? What will you do if your child doesn’t believe in what you believe? What type of school system do you want your children to attend?’”
‘It was just her and I. We laid in her bed, holding this sweet boy, talking about the future. As 48 hours passed, it came time for us to leave the hospital. We all walked out together, one family.’
‘Nash started choking on popcorn. The next day he had a weird cough. He felt warm and was super fussy.’: Mom warns about giving popcorn to toddlers after ‘eye-opening’ aspirating accident
“Last Saturday night we were all watching a movie and eating popcorn, which is a very frequent event in our home. After a long night, my son’s breathing looked a little labored to me and he had a fever. I gave him Motrin and put him to bed. I called my pediatrician. ‘Nash needs to be seen ASAP.’ Thank goodness I trusted my instincts.”
‘My friends ghosted me when my mom died.’
“I didn’t see it then, I just noticed the calls became less frequent and the invites were scarce. I turned around and it was like everyone just disappeared.”
‘Once again, my cousin was pregnant. She was due 6 months after me. She was in a toxic relationship with a man hooked on drugs.’: Woman adopts multiple babies from cousin, finds out she’s pregnant while battling cancer
“We found out she was pregnant with baby number 5. She had decided she just couldn’t parent the kids. My husband and I knew we couldn’t do two babies so close together. My son was only 11 months. Having three kids, two of whom had special needs, it just was too much on us.”
‘This elderly man needed pain meds for his wife. ‘It’s in aisle 6.’ He struggled to navigate the supermarket.’: Woman helps elderly man in simple act of kindness when no one else would
“Today, I watched an elderly man who had obviously fallen, with a huge scrape and blood on his leg. He walked past people in the cafe, while he slowly made his way to his car. Not one person stopped. Or looked. Or acknowledged him.”
‘And you continued the pregnancy anyways?,’ he said in a shocked and condescending tone, as he shook his head.’: Mom gives birth to child with Edward’s Syndrome
“My marriage was falling apart. He wanted to terminate the pregnancy for fear of inflicting unnecessary suffering on her. ‘What’s the point?,’ I overheard in the corner of the room. I was laboring alone. My husband and I’s marriage was in shambles at that point. My living unicorn was born with a full head of hair, and a palpable will to live. There wasn’t a dry eye in that delivery room.”
‘I saw adulterous texts on his phone. I had a dress, the church, the bridesmaids. The wedding was already planned.’: Adopted woman overcomes affair and domestic abuse to find two half sisters
“He went from leaving his phone out and unlocked to taking it to the bathroom with him when he’d shower and keeping it in his pocket when we were home. After I thought he was asleep, I went searching for his phone, frantically digging in his multi-pocketed fishing coat. He heard me and came at me like a bat out of hell.”
‘If I wasn’t around, Zach could find someone he could have a family with. If I wasn’t here, he wouldn’t have to worry. These are MY problems. No one else should have to deal with them!’
“I was different. I couldn’t go to sleepover with just a change of clothes and my pillow. Other girls thought I was weird, boys didn’t think I was cute. They thought I was contagious and they would ‘catch’ it.”
‘I stopped at the gas station and purchased two energy drinks. I had a normal evening, fell asleep on my couch. Then she heard a strange noise.’: Man experiences grand mal seizure after consuming energy drinks
“My head was locked in the corner of the couch and my lungs filled with fluid. My mother’s room was down the hall. She found me with no pulse, called 911 and got my dad, who was a nurse. He started to administer CPR.”
‘I pull into the school parking lot. I check my makeup. I walk to the front doors and wait to be escorted in. Memories flood my mind of all the chaos.’
“The bullying started over my relationship. People started rumors that I made myself throw up, prank called me and posted things online. I feel vulnerable and exposed. As I take a deep breath, I walk into the huge room.”