“I had one foot in eternity, I felt it. With no prior treatment, the doctor looked at me and told me I was ‘too far gone’ and to get my affairs in order. I thought for sure this was the end of me. My husband and I rejected that answer.”
‘Do you think you’re dying?’ my husband asked. I couldn’t even hold my baby. ‘I don’t know, maybe?’: Woman beats breast cancer despite all odds, ‘I had one foot in eternity, I felt it’
‘What would you tell your 18-year-old self?’ Stay out of the tanning bed because you will get premature winkles and Botox is expensive.’: Woman’s all-too-relatable advice to her younger self urges you to ‘know your worth’
“First thing, if you end up with the boy that you’re most certain you’re going to marry and have babies with, you will be 32 and living with his mom. Which is exactly where he still lives. If someone wants to walk out of your life, let them. It is their loss! You are not defined by the crappy things people do to you. The crappy things people do to you show more about their character than yours.”
‘I’m not feeling well.’ I called my husband. I remember crying, thinking the only thing I wanted was my mom.’: Widow laments loss of husband during thyroid cancer journey, ‘he always knew how to put my mind at ease’
“I was preoccupied with thoughts of whether this was ‘normal.’ Fast forward 14 years and I can tell you, I feel differently. In 48 hours, my parents will be here to take care of my children and I because my husband is not. The possibility of cancer this time of year is all too familiar. And as I sit here, alone, avoiding all the dishes I’ve let pile up and the 7 loads of laundry, all I can think is that I want my husband.”
‘You are stronger than this. Stop!’ Gay feelings were still there. It was a secret I planned on taking to my grave.’: Man comes out to wife after 10-year marriage, ‘I am grateful for the courage to no longer hide’
“I was on the verge of a breakdown. I had avoided it long enough. I had to tell her. ‘I am gay,’ I said, overcome with emotion one night after work. It was the first time I’d ever said the words out loud. With tears in her eyes, she scooped me in her arms and held me as I wept like a baby. I will never forget that night. Neither of us had any intention of ending our marriage.”
‘Daddy, I choose MY mommy.’ He snuck into my bedroom and set a basket of clothes on fire. He cried with me.’: Woman loses both parents to addiction, re-claims her life, ‘I chose my own path’
“At 11, I was getting ready for school when I heard a knock. I opened to blue lights, police closing in. My parents were caught in a drug bust and a reporter was catching it all on camera. At first, my mom didn’t want to be seen ‘behind bars.’ Tears just rolled down both our faces. She put her hand against the glass, and I put my hand against hers. Kids talked about plans for the weekend, homework. I’d write letters to my mom, telling her how much I loved and missed her, and how I wished I could have some of her spaghetti.”
‘It’s not fair,’ my daughter said, tears welling up in her eyes. I’ll never forget the first holiday I spent without her.’: Single dad determined to make splitting holidays work, ‘We were together and that’s what matters’
“As a single parent, I had to get creative. I jumped in an Uber and 45 minutes later I met my ex to pick up my daughter. We rushed inside to open presents. We had an hour to spend together in the comfort of our home. All while holding my breath that weather wouldn’t derail any of this. There was no margin for error. I wear sleigh bells and an Elf costume. We have fun with it. We were together, and that’s what the holidays are all about.”
‘I remember holding on to my growing belly, tears streaming as I wondered how I could possibly love this baby.’: Mother of two doesn’t think she has enough love to go around, later looks back on that ‘ridiculous’ thought.
“How could I possibly love anyone else as much as I loved Flynn? I always knew having 2 under 2 would be a challenge. I’d considered the practicalities of it, but I hadn’t fully considered the emotional implications. People will tell you that your love doesn’t divide as you have more children, it multiplies. That your heart just expands and you find space you didn’t even know was there.”
‘I do my part to make friends. I wave at school pick-up. I smile at the girls in my workout class who huddle together, leaving little room for a newcomer.’: Mom says it’s OK if you’re not invited to all the holiday parties
“I’ve been in groups that are giggly and fun, but I also never got to know their parent’s names, or their greatest insecurities, or what their dreams were beyond motherhood. Making it incredibly difficult for women like me, who mostly keep to themselves, to find a seat.”
‘Where is the collected mom I thought I’d be? She’s been replaced by a sweaty, shouty mama in dry shampoo and leggings.’: Mom reminds us ‘perfect parents’ don’t exist, ‘absolutely everyone is just getting by’
“I remember my husband and I agreeing our child would only watch 1 hour of television a day. HA! Now, Peppa Pig is basically our 3rd child. ‘We won’t be the parents giving our child a phone in a restaurant.’ Sometimes, watching other children play with play-doh on YouTube is THE only way to avoid death stares. Absolutely nothing can prepare you for life with two under two.”
‘My mother would sleep nude next to me, crowning me the ‘man of the house.’ At 18, I had to make a decision. ‘You and I will never speak again.’: Man overcomes child abuse, ‘The person in the mirror was not the real me, and I knew it’
“On my birthday, I put a gun in my mouth as my girlfriend pounded on the bathroom door begging me not to kill myself. I will never forget the taste of the cold metal against my tongue. I pulled the trigger, but the pin didn’t strike the bullet casing—a failure to fire. I had guns in my life since I was a child and I will never understand why that round malfunctioned. I had to accept I’d survived some of the most toxic environments imaginable. I needed to stop making excuses and take my life back.”