“All my problems, physical and mental, changed me. I get more medical visits than visits from my friends. But I still need to see the positives in life.”
‘I think she has some fractures.’ Nobody knew what was wrong with me. The pain was EVERYWHERE.’: Chronic illness warrior fights to ‘stay positive’
‘Your daddy has gone with the angels.’ I hadn’t even processed my mom’s death. I returned home to my things in black bags, and a social worker ready to take me.’: Woman recounts healing journey after losing 3 parents, brother to cancer
“After my mom and dad died of cancer, the woman who had finally given me a chance in life, believed in me, and treated my like her own was taken away so cruelly — cancer again. I was classified as homeless. I tarnished myself with the name ‘Bad Omen.’ Death followed me everywhere.”
‘We don’t need language to know what makes her happy. I want nothing more than to see her succeed.’: Mom recounts daughter’s journey to autism diagnosis, ‘She was made for our family’
“We witness mini-miracles every single day. There’s a new, fierce, protective kind of unconditional love for her we wouldn’t have otherwise known.”
‘It’s ironic how a bag of poo attached to my stomach could change my whole perspective on life.’: Chronic illness warrior overcomes anorexia, advocates for disabilities, ‘I’m finally comfortable in my skin’
“Wanting to be normal came at a price. Now, when I look in the mirror, I don’t cry anymore.”
‘If you were MY kid and got that grade, I’d send you back to where you came from.’ My mother never waivered.’: Transracial adoptee finds identity, ‘I feel nothing but admiration and empathy for my birth mother’
“Your birth mother’s words poured off the page as though she’d been waiting to tell this story for years. It was as if she couldn’t write fast enough.’ It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.”
‘My visa was denied.’ I never thought I’d be a single parent with a partner on the other side of the world.’: Solo mom raises son alone during lockdown, ‘I have hope we’ll be together again’
“Two days before flying back to America, I found out I was pregnant. I sat in the bathroom and sobbed. I wanted his comfort during pregnancy and birth. The thought of doing it alone was overwhelming.”
‘My daughter yelled, ‘We’re getting a sister baby!’ We HAD to make a decision. Say yes? Say no? Our hearts grew 3 sizes.’: Couple adopts after second infertility battle, ‘A weight has been lifted from our hearts’
“Case after case passed us by. Finally, Drew pointed right to her case and said, ‘That’s the one.’”
‘Will you marry me?’ It was the easiest YES I’ve ever said. We daydreamed about adoption until suddenly, it wasn’t a daydream anymore.’: Lesbian couple share emotional love, adoption story
“There wasn’t enough representation of lesbians adopting through foster care. It’s hard to find stories like ours.”
‘My whole life turned upside down. I’ve experienced what ‘in sickness and in health’ TRULY means.’: Mom diagnosed with rare Tarlov Cysts, chronic illness, ‘I learned what sacrificial love is’
“My husband became my full time caretaker, but he also upped his duties as my best friend, entertainer, hope dealer and truth speaker. He became my hands and feet, all of it.”
‘The priority is saving your life.’ 5 days before surgery, I heard the words I’d always dreamed: ‘You’re pregnant.’: Ovarian cancer survivor welcomes miracle baby
“Within a week, my stomach grew to appear 5 months pregnant. My entire abdomen was infected with small tumors. ‘You need a full hysterectomy.’ My biggest dream was to have kids. But there I was, 5 days before surgery, hearing the words, ‘You’re pregnant.’”