“‘I see you have a notebook there,’ I said. There we stood, unlikely friends totally blocking the stairs to the subway. It was a moment of pure magic.”
‘We emerged from deep under the streets of New York. To our surprise, a tall, dark-haired man came from nowhere. ‘I just know I need to,’ he said.’
‘It never happens!’: Big brother surprises sister with foul ball after she forgets mitt at home. Her reaction will bring you to tears.
“After Joseph caught the ball, he ran giddily back to his seat where his siblings were waiting. No one could have predicted what happened next. It was nothing other than fate.”
‘You don’t have to be Superwoman, attempting to squeeze out a baby without meds. If you’re vain as I am, wear makeup, style your hair. Do it YOUR way.’
“Your husband will say and do the wrong things leading up to delivery. He will annoy you. Then, your baby will come out looking exactly like him. All that morning sickness, the inability to eat sushi, the limiting your coffee intake, the sacrifices, only for your husband to get all the credit. It will make you slightly crazy.”
‘The expectant mom is moving forward with another adoptive family.’ We had the car seat and crib ready. We spent days holding her precious baby girl. Then, we got the call. I was heartbroken.’
“There was a sinking feeling. We loved this little girl and her parents so much. We thought it was everything we dreamt of. It’s the most confusing feeling to grieve the loss of something we never really had while at the same time being happy for this family we fell in love with.”
‘We were forced into an abortion. ‘Don’t hold her too close. Your warmth and heartbeat will confuse her into staying alive.’ We were left alone with our baby as the staff waited for her die.’
“I was given 2 tablets. At 3:43 p.m., I delivered a baby girl. The image seared in my mind is of her little arm stretching into the air. She was alive. ALIVE. Surely, the nurse wasn’t going to let her die, right? But as our girl fought to stay alive, nobody on staff seemed to care.”
‘The checkout lady saw my cart. ‘Oh wow! Did you get too many things on your registry?’ Tears poured down my face. ‘No, two of my children died,’ I said. ‘I don’t need these anymore.’
“In addition to planning two funerals, my husband and I were left with a room full of baby items. Three boppy pillows, three bouncers, enough diapers for three little babies. I waited in line to return it all. The grief took a hold of me.”
‘I heard two soft voices greet each other. ‘Elizabeth!’, ‘Cheryl!’, their voices almost shaken. Two elderly women had run into each other for the first time in months. I pretended to look at shoes as I listened in.’
“I didn’t plan on eavesdropping on their conversation, but there I was, not able to walk away. One of the women said to the other, ‘know anything we can gossip about?’ Ok, this is getting GOOD.”
‘His daughter didn’t get home until after 9 p.m. each night, then she still had to do her homework and shower before bed. Hearing this child’s schedule was exhausting. Then I had an epiphany.’
“I was at the courthouse when he told me his wife was busy hauling their 8 year-old daughter, who is a few years older than my daughters, to after school activities. Let me see if I remember this correctly. His daughter partook in ten activities. You didn’t read it wrong. TEN.”
‘When he turned a year old, he couldn’t sit up. He didn’t play with toys. He was essentially a newborn. He kept his left hand clenched, and his entire left side was tight.’
“I’ll never forget the words he said. ‘Knowing what his brain looks like, I can’t believe he is talking like this.’ I went to my car and cried. I cried tears of joy and tears of relief. And if I’m being honest, a few tears of fear. By early May, it was confirmed.”
‘They found something. I don’t want to ruin your Christmas Eve.’ I sat with my head against the closet, ruined.’: Woman loses husband to Stage 4 Stomach Cancer after multiple misdiagnoses, claims his death ‘saved 3 family members, daughters’
“I remember sitting there with my head against the closet thinking my Christmas Eve was already ruined without him there. I remember the tears started streaming down my face even though I tried to keep it together for him and the girls. My older daughter came over and wrapped her arms around my neck because she could tell I was upset.”
