“What I really wanted was a house full of love. And that’s what I have.”
‘We were so focused on building a family, we forgot we ARE a family.’: Woman details infertility journey, ‘We have so much love for each other’
‘I think you may have Asperger’s,’ my boyfriend said nervously. He broke up with me, unsure he wanted to see me anymore.’: Woman diagnosed with autism in adulthood learns to ‘umask’ and embrace authentic identity
“I didn’t know what to think. Immediately after our conversation, I started googling… and very quickly, it became apparent to me that for the first time ever, my life was finally starting to make sense.”
‘How could this be?’ I sobbed. Our baby had never heard us talking, singing, or reading to her.’: First-time parents raise awareness after welcoming daughter with Chudley-McCullough Syndrome
“I remember telling one of my friends that the ultrasound was just a precaution and I wasn’t worried. Little did I know, our lives would change forever.”
‘Who’s going to love me now?’ Tears slid down his face, and I knew he wouldn’t want to live with the scars.’: Young widow shares grief journey after losing husband in tragic accident
“There was a flash of light, screams. My reality became a blur. Everything I had ever imagined for myself was gone.”
‘Your eye pressure is ALARMINGLY high.’ Some days I can’t stop thinking about the ‘what-ifs.’: Woman details how infection led to living with glaucoma
“He came rushing over to take me to urgent care since I could not see to drive. ‘It’s really BAD,’ was all I could say to him through tears. It hurt to cry, but I couldn’t stop.”
The ‘Perfect’ Family Is A Myth, And It’s Time We Realize It
“People could us see arguing with each other. People could see us gritting our teeth and communicating via dagger glares. And for a little while, right there in the middle of an amusement park, I almost cried. Where did I go wrong?”
‘My weight fell to that of an 8-year-old. I thought I was FAT.’: Woman battles anorexia, binge eating disorder, ‘Recovery has helped me discover myself’
“I began cycling through extreme weight loss programs, plans and fads. My efforts backfired, and I soon had a new sinister predicament with which to contend with.”
‘I was born into it. This was my family, the people who were supposed to love and protect me.’: Sex trafficking survivor beats 12-year opioid addiction, bravely embarks on self-healing journey
“Lying in a hospital bed, after a 12-year battle with opiates, I knew I had to face the truth. I had to stop running from my childhood. I needed to face it head on, no matter how difficult. I transformed myself in front of the people who broke me, and then I left them all behind.”
‘The moment we saw Wesley, it was love at first sight. I was his Mommy, and he was mine.’: Boy finds ‘forever family’ after fate pairs him with couple battling infertility
“The path is not always straight, but you will always get to where you are supposed to be.”
‘What? We had a twin?!’ I had two eggs. One my healthy twin, the other forming into cancer.’: Brave mom survives rare choriocarcinoma, now advocates for others
“I was told I had a heavy period, I was pregnant, or I was miscarrying, none of which were true. By this time I felt a huge ball, almost like a crowning baby. I came to realize if I did not get help quickly, I was going to bleed to death.”
‘Even in the pouring rain the crowds were INCREDIBLE. ‘You got this! Good job! I believe in you!’: Woman with eyesight loss fulfills her dream of finishing Boston Marathon
“I’ve had challenges bigger than running the Boston Marathon and losing my eyesight. When I dream big, when I am persistent and don’t give up, I create a life that’s rich, peaceful, and full of JOY.”
‘It was a war just to keep my newborn ALIVE.’: Medical mom praises daughter born with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, dwarfism
“Have you ever had a medical professional look you in the eye and tell you it’s a MIRACLE your child is alive, and then say they have no medical reasoning as to how they ARE alive? Children born with no immune system unknowingly die from the common cold… Bella survived septic shock and 4 bowel surgeries.”
To My Grieving Friends – You Don’t Have To Be Okay
“The innocence you had before the atomic bomb of grief is gone, and left are the ashes of a life you wanted to live.”
‘I opened the envelope to find my original birth certificate. I didn’t know what to think or feel.’: Adoptee shares journey to find answers, connect with biological family
“‘She left here with a big stomach, and when she came back, she had you.’ She came back with a 1.5-year-old child, overnight—just like that? Not one person was willing to share the truth with me.”
3 Ways To Help Foster Kids Without Becoming A Foster Parent
“There are currently over 400,000 kids in the foster care system right now.”
My Parents Got Divorced, Then Remarried 18 Years Later
“They both knew deep down they never stopped loving each other.”
‘Hours after we unloaded her into her new, tiny dorm, I grabbed my keys. ‘I’m coming back to get you,’ I announced, tears flowing on both ends.’: Mom urges parents dropping off kids at college to ‘watch them fly’
“A flood of emotion came over as I thought of my baby, the one who made me a mom, alone in a strange place, in a strange room, with strange people. ‘No,’ she said as she cleared her throat. ‘You cannot come pick me up. If you do, I’ll never find the courage to do this.'”
People Are So Much More Than Their Appearance, And It’s Time We Recognize It
“No one was proud of me for walking through hell—domestic violence, separation, abandonment at 4 months pregnant while raising a toddler and autistic child and simultaneously maintaining a career. But they went out of their way to express their pride when I lost 40 pounds.”
‘After miscarriage 3, all the doctor said was, ‘Have you tried Adipex to lose weight? I sell it at my spa.’: Woman delivers rainbow baby on cusp of giving up, raises infertility awareness
“I left his office that day and immediately made an appointment at a completely different office. In a sense, I’d given up. To my surprise, I got the faintest positive on a cheap 88¢ Walmart test. Our hopes were at rock bottom, but we needed to believe in this little miracle.”
4 Family-Friendly Experiences Coming To Disney Cruise Line Summer 2022
“Walt Disney Imagineering has been hard at work designing the ship with one word in mind: Enchantment.”
How To Teach The Beauty Of Every Skin Color, Language & Culture While Your Kids Are Still Young
“We get to raise children who will prioritize love and compassion. And for me, that is the absolute greatest privilege.”
Married For Half A Century: An Interview About Everlasting Love With Jane And Bob
“When I hung the dress and veil in summer 1971, I recall thinking it might be fun to try it on again — perhaps 50 years later.”
‘I really empathize with you for having a child with special needs.’ A line so innocent, but it cuts like a knife.’: Mom of son with autism urges ‘please do not pity us’
“At 2 years and 9 months, he was diagnosed with Autism. Did it change who he was? Not for a second.”
Instead Of Worrying About How A Mother Feeds Her Baby, Support Her
“It’s another instance of women being told what to do with their body, then being shamed no matter WHAT she decides.”
Dear Autism, Thank You For Showing Me Different Can Be Good
“Not one tear fell from my eyes. I just said, ‘I know,’ and you were officially part of our lives forever. You are a huge part of my little boy, but you do not define him.”