“I felt like I failed my husband, who had dreamed of being a dad. I was embarrassed to call our family and friends. How do you tell them, ‘Never mind?’ I didn’t want to be pitied. I wanted my life to return to normal.”
‘I know it’s gone, I just know it.’ I sat in the back room, alone and bleeding. The guilt hung over me. We needed answers.’: Woman shares journey to rainbow baby, ‘Your grief is valid’
‘He’s only a few days old, and white.’ He didn’t even weigh enough to leave. I did skin-to-skin for weeks.’: Woman battles infertility, fosters-to-adopt, ‘We don’t have to look alike to love alike’
“Seven miscarriages later, the carpet was pulled from under us. She came into our lives at just the right moment.”
‘Can you take my child? Also, I’m pregnant.’ I ugly cried. They had to stay in Japan. I didn’t know if I’d see them again.’: Couple adopts siblings internationally, describes process, ‘It took a year to be reunited’
“How could I leave? Surely, if I had enough faith, we could be reunited, right? His response was not the resounding ‘YES!’ I’d hoped for.”
‘We’re a family of drinkers. It’s what we do.’ I had two young kids. Who could judge me for needing a couple glasses of wine to take the edge off?’: Mom details sobriety journey, ‘I choose myself’
“I drank the way everyone else did. As a sport, a pastime, a rite of passage. I sipped a travel mug full of wine as we pushed the double stroller. I cut the crusts off sandwiches and built block towers with the ghost of a hangover hovering above me.”
‘You’re in severe heart failure.’ A chill ran up my spine. I begged God to spare me for my kids’ sake.’: Twin mom diagnosed with chronic lung disease, ‘There’s so much more to life’
“I was scared, and I don’t scare easily. I almost fell down because my feet and legs were so swollen. ‘You need medication or you’ll die.’ I took a deep breath and dug my heels in.”
‘Please give me something to eat. I can’t do it anymore.’ My stomach was swollen. I felt weak and powerful at the same time.’: Model overcomes eating disorder, ‘I’m MORE than a label’
“I lost 26 pounds in 2 months. My legs weren’t strong enough to hold me. I refused to eat, and if I’d eat too much, I just threw it up when I was alone. Nothing seemed real.”
‘This year has left us numb. We’re searching for just a little bit of Christmas magic. That’s when I had the idea.’: Mom creates Drive-Thru Santa for neighborhood, ‘We need joy now more than ever’
“This year will be different. The children can’t touch his white beard, feel the texture of his velvet suit, or sit on his lap. Yet, our neighborhood came together to keep the Christmas magic alive. The spirit is the same.”
‘He’s only measuring about 2 pounds.’ Tears began streaming down my face. Something was terribly wrong.’: Woman gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘He’s uniquely formed’
“There aren’t words to explain how heartbroken I was. I cried, realizing this isn’t something you can ‘fix’ like a heart. This is a lifestyle set apart from most. I didn’t sign up for this.”
‘Something’s dying inside of you.’ I was bleeding all over myself, uncontrollably. I didn’t want to live like this.’: Woman shares cancer journey, ‘I have the strength to fight ANY battle’
“I was afraid I was dying, but I was scared to talk to anyone about it. ‘I’m bleeding and in a lot of pain.’ No one believed me. My doctor said, ‘Stay off the internet.’ I couldn’t keep away. I froze from fear.”
‘Baby girl with severe leg deformation.’ My heart pounded in my chest. This was the baby we’d searched for.’: Couple adopts daughter with special needs, ‘She’s our perfect match’
“Instantly, we said, ‘Yes.’ The very conditions that made her birth family unable to care for her were the reasons she was meant to be our daughter. To us, she was pure perfection.”