“I watched myself fade away, becoming sicker every week. It felt like I waited FOREVER for the perfect match. I had scabs everywhere. My kids grappled to understand what was happening to their mommy.”
‘You’ll need a transplant. There’s no telling how soon.’ My skin turned yellow and I had NO energy. I was running out of time!’: Woman receives liver donated by mom, ‘I wear my scars proudly’
‘It’ll be difficult for you to get pregnant.’ I gave him an out. ‘No way, let’s adopt!’ There was no doubt in my mind.’: Couple moves to Africa to adopt daughter, ‘We’re exactly where we need to be’
“We picked up the phone. ‘There’s a 17-month-old girl.’ We felt like we were racing time. Then COVID hit. We wouldn’t be able to take her home. ‘Why don’t WE go be a family with her?’ It seemed like a no-brainer.”
‘We noticed wobbling in his eyes. My denial turned to heartbreak. ‘I can’t believe I passed on my problems.’: Woman learns to embrace blindness in herself and son, ‘I can guide him through life’
“‘No kids would want a blind mom!’ My husband told me not to worry, we’d do things differently, and would solve problems as they came. I assumed being a mom and wife was unreachable. He taught me differently.”
‘Unfortunately, you weren’t accepted.’ Everyone made jokes about me. ‘It’s because she’s FAT.’ My heart dropped.’: Young woman shares self-love journey, ‘I am worthy’
“’I know why you didn’t get in. They told us.’ My heart sank. ‘They didn’t think you’d be able to do physical activity.’ I was the only one who didn’t. It opened my eyes.”
‘How can ‘I’ be gay?’ Gay guys have great hair, creamy skin, and abs. I had a HUGE belly hanging over my pants.’: Gay man learns body acceptance, ‘Being plus-sized doesn’t define me’
“Nothing fit right. My mom brought me to the ‘husky’ section. ‘What does husky mean?’ She said, ‘It’s for boys like you.’ BOOM. There it was. It wasn’t what she said. It was how she said it, in an almost hush, as if it was something embarrassing to be discussed.”
‘We’re the only American family on the block. ‘Dear Neighbors, we’d be happy to see you tonight.’ They took the time to include us.’: Military family finds community during deployment, urges ‘make others feel welcome’
“We air-toasted our warm drinks in one another’s direction and voiced pleasantries across the cobblestones. The soft notes of Christmas music played through those open windows. You have no idea the impact even the smallest gesture can make.”
‘Oh, honey.’ She noticed a cleft lip and clubbed feet. ‘This is going to be hard.’: Woman shares journey with daughter’s CHARGE syndrome
“Her growth began to slow. ’Rare but not unheard of’ became my life story. My daughter’s heart was giving up. ‘This is really hard news. But you can do this.’ It was exactly what I needed to hear.”
‘I’m hurt you’d date my ex!’ She tried to pin abuse on us. We called their phone. No one answered.’: Blended family forced to leave kids details journey, ‘We can’t wait to be together again’
“His son never wanted to see us again. He loves video games and changed his name to ‘leaving.’ He was hurting and did not know how to express it. When we called their phone, no one answered.”
‘She’d take us on ‘missions’ in the night. It was her outlet for being a single mom. I was eventually placed in foster care.’: First generation college graduate and father shares journey, ‘I broke a generational barrier’’
“We experienced the trauma of being ripped away from our mom, as well as each other, and we were forced to live with families we didn’t know. I grew up sooner than I expected.”
‘We were 2 kids who thought we knew what life was about. We were SHOCKED to find out I was pregnant. I felt so ashamed.’: Young mom births daughter with Rett Syndrome, ‘I’m blessed to be part of her story’
“She was my sin who couldn’t be hidden from others. ‘Is this my punishment for how she was brought into the world?’ But I no longer want to hide. She is my reminder to choose LIFE.”