“All that was keeping my kneecap together were some screws and pins. I LITERALLY pulled my cracked knee cap apart. I felt lost and alone. Most days, it felt like no one understood.”

“All that was keeping my kneecap together were some screws and pins. I LITERALLY pulled my cracked knee cap apart. I felt lost and alone. Most days, it felt like no one understood.”
“She wanted me to come into the office as soon as I could. I didn’t make it to that appointment, though. The bleeding started a day later. The rest was a blur.”
“Not only was my sister lying in a hospital bed on ventilators, but now I had lost my son too. My world spun into absolute chaos. And then one day, they were there again. Those two pink lines.”
“I remember telling Michael with 100% conviction, ‘Our family is complete, and I can no longer consider adopting.’ I did not know how I could cope with a child with DS, and the idea of adding another child seemed impossible. Then, I saw his picture.”
“I tried to get back to the person I was, but she wasn’t there. Especially after the test results came back. I felt sick, crying happy and sad tears.”
“I was abandoned when I was born, dropped off in a box by a school. It broke my mom’s heart. ‘I can’t pick up the phone and end my dream.’ She worked without sleeping, day in and day out, to fulfill her dream.“
“How was I supposed to tell my mom before she died? I had a dream she was holding the baby as they stood in the clouds. ‘I’ll take care of him until he’s ready to enter the world.’ I clung to those words.”
“I looked down at my foot. ‘They’re just gonna chop it off? That’s cool.’ At 5 years old, I learned a life lesson many people struggle with into adulthood: self-acceptance.”
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
“She represents all of us.”