“The harsh reality is I won’t be around forever. One day I’ll pass away just like Kobe Bryant, but his memory, just like our videos, will live on. I hope one day my kids will look back at this footage and remember, without a doubt, this dad absolutely loved his boys.”
“I remember being so excited for my due date. Then we went to the doctor and saw our baby, but no heartbeat. Suddenly, it was over. My jeans fit again. I stored the congratulatory letters in a box. Friends told me to ‘move on.’ Weeks later, I was shopping when a woman pushing a newborn in a carriage walked by. I started to cry. Another woman turned around and gently smiled. ‘It is so tough. 20 years later, I still wonder what that child would have been like.’ Tears fell from my eyes.”
“His lesions were so severe he couldn’t eat. Rashes covered his entire body. We had to inject him with Pedialyte every 15 minutes just to keep him from passing out. In the midst of trying to be a normal family of 3, we suffered 3 miscarriages. Here we were, emotionally and physically exhausted, still yearning for hope. Little did we know, after 11 pregnancies, baby B would surprise us with blood in his diaper at just 2 months old. We knew something was terribly wrong.”
“My daughter was 12 and I still wasn’t married. My hopes of having children dwindled away. Suddenly, the cutest little 3-month-old boy entered my life and instantly stole our hearts. ‘His aunt wants to adopt him.’ They dropped a bombshell on me. ‘I have been his mommy. Nobody else was there through the sleepless infant nights. It has been me all this time, loving him.’ I felt like my heart had been shattered.”
“I was adopted at 13. Before then, I’d grown up in a small town with a religiously close-minded family. I was constantly told to ‘man up’ and act masculine. Yet, I looked like a girl and struggled to put my voice into a deeper tone. I’d get frustrated and cry to God, ‘I promise to act manly if you make me a normal girl in my next life.’ I prayed I could be who my family wanted me to be. I had no idea I had both male genitalia and ovaries.”
“I stand there for a moment, clutching those two bottles in each hand, silver lids removed. I’m angry. I’m sad. ‘Why did you do this, Kara? Why?’ I need you to know, as devastating as The Decision has been for all of us, I will fulfill my promise to you. I bet you didn’t know it would force me back here, to a magical place I equally loathe and love. But here we are. It’s been 340 days.”
“‘Did you see what she’s WEARING?’ ‘She got fat!’ ‘God, she should date guys her age!’ ‘WHY doesn’t she just wear a bit of foundation?’ My children were right there.”
During the wedding ceremony, the groom had his bride turn to look at that chair that she’d reserved for her late son — only it wasn’t empty anymore.
“I had it all — the cars, the house, the material things. When I got married, I ignored all of the glaring red flags and thought maybe he would change. The truth of the matter was he was not the right person for me. I had no idea how to get out. I felt stuck. What would I do if I left? It took me a while to realize my happiness was worth so much more than any financial security or material comfort.”
“I’ve had that baby. I’ve had that patient. I’ve cared for the couple whose baby they hold within their arms is no longer alive. I’ve fought to save the mother who is bleeding out. I’ve rescuscitated the baby turning purple as parents stare back in desperation. Your work isn’t measured by a single moment or shift, but the lives of those you touch.”
