“I felt as if my face was about to melt off. ‘Mom, I’m gay and I have a girlfriend. I think I love her.’ She started howling, deep belly laughing.”
‘With a huge grin, my mom said, ‘Your daughter is an honor student? Well, mine’s a lesbian!’ She was so proud.’: LGBTQ mom shares what Pride means to her
‘There’s something missing in your son.’ I brushed it off as him being ADD like me. I felt guilty and angry.’: Neurodivergent mom to son with autism urges ‘self-empowerment’ for others like her
“‘R*tard’ and ‘lunatic’ became my ‘pet names.’ We still haven’t received a call for an ‘official diagnosis.’ So, I started my own research. I don’t want other children to suffer as I did.”
‘My legs suddenly went numb. I clutched the wall in horror, like a child at an ice-skating rink. What was happening to me?’: Woman opens up about anxiety journey
“Everyone else seemed so carefree. I was riddled with worry and didn’t want anybody looking at me. I didn’t want to be the center of attention at my own WEDDING.”
‘I was told, ‘He won’t grow up RIGHT without a male figure in his life.’ I felt the need to be a perfect parent.’: Lesbian mom shares mental health struggles, urges ‘trust yourself’
“I’d constantly think about Asher getting cancer or being kidnapped. ‘You can’t possibly parent a normal child in a same-sex household.’ I felt like my life was falling apart.”
‘He won’t live to see his 7th birthday.’ My eyes were completely sunken into my skeleton-like body.’: Heart and kidney transplant warrior urges ’we’re stronger than we realize’
“I fainted after getting home from karate class, a searing pain in my gut. My mom tried to revive me on the chilly tiles of our bathroom floor. Doctors offered me a second-rate heart, believing I wouldn’t survive otherwise.”
‘I looked at the doctor, ‘What’s wrong with her exactly?’ She started listing things.’: Mom gives birth to rainbow baby with birth defects, ‘She’s a miracle’
“We couldn’t believe this was happening to our newborn. The surgeons said, ‘We don’t know what we’ll find until we open her up.’ Through social media, people all around the world were praying for our little girl, praying for a miracle.”
‘Dad, I want a job.’ I got to researching. The answer was staring me right in the face.’: Family launches sock business for son with Down syndrome
“Thomas has always played with socks. He’d put one sock into the other and swing them around his fingers for hours. Some children get comfort from a teddy bear or a doll. With Thomas, it was always the socks.”
‘I made a sign saying, ‘This little cubbie needs a kidney.’ I ended up WINNING that night.’: Woman finds kidney donor at Chicago Cubs game, ‘He’s a superhero’
“He saw me and we both waved to each other. It’s a moment I’ll NEVER forget.”
‘You need to be the MAN of the house.’ I realized my life was no longer my own.’: Transgender woman finds self love, ‘I’m at peace with who I’ve become’
“‘You’ll NEVER look like a girl or have a feminine voice.’ She didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have on me.”
‘She just doesn’t want to go to school.’ At 18, I became a single mom living with undiagnosed pain.’: Chronic illness warrior becomes advocate with son’s help, ‘I couldn’t live without him’
“I had 9 months symptom-free. ‘I wish I didn’t have to give you this diagnosis.’ I felt like my life was ending.”