“’You better NOT be gay! I hope you find a man who will sweep you off your feet!’ I could NEVER be in a relationship with a girl.”
‘I finally came out to my mom. ‘I GUARANTEE you won’t have a happy life!’: Woman accepts sexuality, opens queer business, urges ‘it’s okay to cut people out of your life’
‘On my birthday, I drank whatever was in arm’s reach. The day after marked six months since we lost Adelaide.’: Mom shares grief journey through the pandemic
“I would have masked my grief with make-up and pretty clothes, attended all the events, and popped dangerous amounts of Xanax. But with Covid, there was nowhere to go, no mask to hide under, no excuse to avoid my grief.”
‘I don’t know how you’re alive.’ If I’d gone home, I would have died in my sleep.’: Woman survives pulmonary embolisms, urges ‘always listen to your body’
“’Oh, you are a gym rat! Your legs are always sore.’ I was a workaholic, so with my chest hurting and shortness of breath, I finished my shift. ‘I feel like I am going to die.’”
‘At 30 weeks pregnant, he put down the wand, took me into his office, and began to talk about a recurrence.’: Three-time cancer survivor delivers miracle baby during chemo
“I was sobbing uncontrollably. My husband told them to unhook me and washed my bald head and pregnant belly. It was too much. I was not OK with subjecting my baby to this too.”
‘We came without a car seat because we were told we wouldn’t be able to take her home. It was an absolute MIRACLE.’: Mom spends 9 miraculous days with daughter born with Alobar Holoprosencephaly
“The day we took her home was INCREDIBLE. We drove home with her hooked up to machines in the car with the sun shining down on us. Allison got to go home with her family.”
’Is it my brother?’ She nodded with tears in her eyes. I fell to my knees.’: Woman shares ‘life-shattering’ journey of losing brother at 26
“My mom’s legs trembled, and she almost fell to her knees as we saw police officers moving in and out of the lobby. I was in disbelief at how the world around me just continued to function.”
How A Puzzle Helped Fund Our Sibling Adoptions After Infertility
“The name of each donor is written on the back of the puzzle that hangs above their beds. Each piece of the puzzle tells a story because each donor gave an incredible gift.”
‘I swiped right on the man of my DREAMS. I KNEW I was marrying him AND becoming a role model to his 2 beautiful kids.’: Mom of 5 shares journey to blended family
“Life has a funny way of giving you exactly what you never thought you’d want, only for you to realize it’s what you should’ve been dreaming of all along.”
‘If you can empathize with others, you’re not autistic.’ I wondered if I was an alien.’: Nonbinary person shares long journey to autism diagnosis, urges ‘knowledge about autism can save lives’
“‘You’re not trying enough.’ They gave me even more diagnoses, so I worked on them a lot. But nothing helped. It made me hopeless. Now, I know I was working on the wrong disorders.”
‘It was a dream of mine to walk across the stage and see my dad smiling from one big goofy ear to another.’: After losing both parents, young woman urges ‘show up’ for those grieving
“I found myself at 21, fatherless and lost. Just as I was beginning to grapple with my grief, I received a call that my mother was found dead. I’m the girl who carries her parents in all she does. I continue to be their legacy.”
‘Despite looking like a patient you see on Grey’s Anatomy, she was SMILING.’: Mom shares daughter’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, ‘It changed us, but it doesn’t define or limit us’
“It’s similar to coming home with your baby for the first time. The panic and worry set in, and you MASSIVELY question your ability as a parent and wonder if you are going to be able to do this. The good news is YES, you absolutely can!”
Anxiety Can Look Like a Sink Full of Dishes
“Anxiety can look like I’m happy and having a great time, but my brain never stops thinking of what I didn’t accomplish.”
‘Her lungs filled with blood, and her heart stopped. We waited 7 years for the results.’: Mom of daughter with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome advocates ‘there CAN be life after diagnosis’
“If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself not to read about what my baby might NOT be able to do. She’s inquisitive and full of fun and mischief, and she LOVES broccoli. She is my inspiration.”
‘I PROMISE your daughter will have an education. She WILL NOT go hungry anymore.’: Mom shares amazing journey from sponsoring a child to having her own
“Her mother was barely 19, white-haired, weighing less than 70 pounds, and in the end stages of HIV/AIDS. Family rejected them, so they survived on a single grocery bag of beans. We hope our kids grow up with a better understanding of their own privilege.”
‘Will they hold her like I do?’ No, they won’t. I’m supposed to protect you.’: Mom advocates for her children with Down syndrome, dyslexia, and dysgraphia, ‘Our differences should be celebrated’
“Just because she doesn’t have verbal words, doesn’t mean she has nothing to say. And Mason just sees the world in 4D. We are NOT ashamed.”
Living with Autism, I Have a Fear of Being ‘Found Out’
“I deleted the hashtag, and it hasn’t gone back up since. On the same day, I posted about autistic pride. I was still afraid. Maybe if I pretend I don’t have autism, it won’t be an issue in my professional life.”
‘The story of my 5 martinis at 123 pounds and NEVER tossing my cookies went round the restaurant for months.’: Woman shares journey to sobriety, ‘I convinced myself this was perfectly acceptable’
“I couldn’t WAIT for the kids to get home from school, not because I missed them, but because it was a mark of transition from day to evening drinking.”
‘My dad put on the car flashers and whizzed around curves to find meds. I’ll NEVER forget the pain.’: Mom diagnosed with Achalasia urges ‘celebrate the little victories’
“Would I need my esophagus REMOVED? My mind was filled with questions. The nurse couldn’t even PRONOUNCE the disease.”
‘She was gone. ‘We have to finish the donuts.’ And that’s what we did.’: After sister’s death, woman shares family’s unique grief process, ‘We ate donuts’
‘Are you sure it’s her?’ I hoped he was wrong, but I knew he wasn’t. The drive there was a rainy, tear-filled blur. ‘She’s making donuts…’”
‘Why Andie have seizures?’ Seeing her so worried, I wanted to answer all her questions.’: Mom of daughter with Dravet Syndrome writes children’s book about seizures, ‘I was inspired by my girls’
“‘Andie is acting strange.’ Our baby’s left arm and leg were rhythmically jerking. After an hour, she’d not stopped seizing. ‘Call 911!’ In a matter of minutes, our future shattered.”
‘We like to have girls’ nights. Who understands the struggles of parenting better than Beckham’s OTHER mom?!’: Mom and stepmom detail journey to cooperative co-parenting
“We had the choice of either staying miserable, or changing our story to become positive and full of hope. No matter how lost, difficult or heartbreaking your co-parenting situation might be, it CAN be changed.”
‘People are in pain, you’re wasting a bed.’ My intestine had literally turned itself in a knot.’: Mother battles chronic pain and hospital stays, urges ‘mental health matters’
“’Yep, I’m in the hospital again.’ I have never known what it was like to be ‘not sick.’ Here is my conundrum: I am actually very happy. I’m choosing to live.”
‘Hello Grandad! I love you!’ It was a video he never saw.’: Woman opens up about grief after losing both parents, explains ‘grief has no time limit’
“It’s a week I see in my head every day. Watching this person who made you, who you loved more than most, who knew you more than ANYONE, just wither in front of you.”
‘Women stepped up to let strangers know they’re NOT alone. We support, believe, and love you.’: Charity ‘Handmade Especially For You’ partners with crocheters to create scarves for women escaping abuse
“It is this very support that provides women with the self-esteem to LEAVE abusive situations. When a woman makes the choice to leave that environment, it’s LIFE CHANGING.”
I Have 14 Kids, 9 Homemade and 5 Adopted
“Our children, used to a new baby every year, were just as excited as we were.”