“They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but it was different for me. I wasn’t scared.”
‘My doctor wrote off my symptoms as ‘being pregnant.’ I felt them cut me open.’: New mom urges awareness of PPCM
‘I’d been on my phone. I might have judged another mom, had I seen her doing the same thing.’: Mom reminds others not to judge
“I couldn’t process what I’d heard. I still haven’t.”
‘I caught him in lie after lie. ‘But it’s MOSTLY wonderful!’ I had to choose whether I was going down with him.’: Woman leaves abusive husband, finds love again, ‘I’m no longer that scared girl’
“I stood barefoot in the dark, cold parking lot, sobbing, hoping he would follow me and tell me to come back home and everything would be okay. He never came.”
‘I’m STUPID. I can’t do ANYTHING right.’ These words are like a knife to my heart. Everything in me wants to tell them they’re wrong: Mom urges ‘EMBRACE your difficult feelings’
“My reaction didn’t help, obviously.”
‘I felt nothing. The alarm started sounding and nurses flooded into the room. All I could say was, ‘Does she have it?’: Mom recounts labor experience of daughter with Down syndrome
“And when the nurse said to me, ‘Are you okay? You don’t seem excited.’ I hated her for it. I hated that I hated her for it, but I did. They began inducing me, and the minute they did I started contracting.”
‘Looks like motherhood is treating you well.’ I didn’t want to turn him down twice. ‘Don’t you believe my granddaughter deserves better?’: Single mom meets future husband on MySpace
“I had never dated anyone outside my race. I didn’t think I was ready.”
‘He raged, ‘Just STOP eating.’ Shocked and embarrassed, I did. I learned to eat quietly or not at all.’: Woman seeks recovery from eating disorder, trauma, ‘I’m reclaiming my joy’
“‘STOP scraping your teeth on your fork!’ he yelled. I feared family meals. I became strong when skinny and untouchable when numb.”
‘I was driving out of the parking lot when I saw you hunched over, tears running down your face. Your husband was holding you, and I knew instantly.’: Mom pens letter to grieving mama
“I was you 10 years ago.”
‘A little old lady complimented my car. I could have just said thank you. Instead, I said, ‘I bought it after my husband died.’ She had tears in her eyes.’: Woman shares touching moment with stranger over love and grief
“She told me she’s a widow, too. She told me about losing her daughter. I did something I rarely do—I slowed down. I leaned in. I listened.”
‘I remember what it was like being 13. The social stress. The fear of embarrassment. And NONE of it was happening during a PANDEMIC.’: Mom strives to teach daughter ‘not everything matters as much as you think’
“She’s conscientious. A hard worker by nature. She needs to know it’s okay to let some things go.”