“There wasn’t a person Ryan wasn’t friends with, or Ryan wouldn’t be friends with in the near future. He’s more similar to me than different.”
‘Their disabilities seemed SO different, how do I bridge the gap?’ I matched with Ryan. He was friends with EVERYONE.’: Woman advocates for those with Down syndrome, ‘We all want to be valued’
‘You have 2 cervixes and 2 uteruses.’ People couldn’t be ‘bothered’ with my bad days. ‘You’re either in, or out.’: Woman learns to advocate for herself after Endometriosis, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnoses
“Living everyday in an unknown, unpredictable state affects you more than people realize.”
‘Is this actually happening?’ We watched our beloved home go up in flames as we stood in disbelief. All our possessions were gone.’: Mom details losing home to fire, ‘We’re looking for silver linings through the grief’
“While attempting to get my daughter Paige back to sleep, my 4-year-old, Mackenzie, woke. ‘Great,’ I thought, ‘This is going to be a long day.’ Little did I know, just 5 minutes later I’d be scooping these tiny humans up in my arms and rushing out the front door while thick, black smoke engulfed us.”
‘When it comes to the size of our family, we’re always laughed at. What they don’t know is we love our chaos!’: Mom of 6 shares journey as blended family, ‘We were made for this’
“When you see that positive pregnancy test, you start to wonder how you’re going to create more room in your heart for another. But just like the others, the new babe fits right in. Somehow, your heart just grows even bigger.”
‘We have 3 kids who were taken away from their mother.’ We went from zero to 3, INSTANTLY. I can’t believe we said yes.’: LGBTQ couple fosters 3 siblings, ‘Loving them is easy’
“‘You’re the ONLY home in the county who can take all 3.’ No pressure, right? After a few volleys, we told each other these kids don’t have anyone else.”
‘I was bursting with joy. Every cell in my body had been waiting for this moment. I was on top of the world!’: Woman with cerebral palsy celebrates high school graduation, ‘I am more than my disability’
“One of my teachers said, ‘How can we be sure it’s Astrid who does her homework?’ It felt like I’d been stabbed in the stomach. Of course I had done my homework myself. I was living in a society filled with prejudices.”
‘There’s a woman who posts beautiful things, and the one I come home to, who ISN’T okay.’ He accused me of being a fraud.’: Mom diagnosed with Lupus, multiple chronic illnesses, ‘We’re worthy of living our best lives’
“I was a mother who was too exhausted to mother, a creative who could not create, and a woman on fire to serve, but unable.”
10 Things I’ve Learned After 70 Years On Earth
“If you have to decide between doing a few loads of laundry or going on an adventure…choose the latter. The laundry will be there when you return.”
‘I thought I just had a ‘strong’ pregnancy. ‘You don’t think it’s TWINS, do you?’ Sure enough, we saw two of the most beautiful heartbeats.’: Couple battling infertility welcome twins, ‘It’s a dream come true’
“My husband said, ‘At the end of the day, when we’re looking back on our life, we want to know we did everything we could.’ Two months later, we began IVF. I heard the words I’d prayed over for a long, long time.”
‘She’s going to slide right out, right??’ Suddenly, my midwife’s eyes went wide. The color drained from my face.’: Mom survives extremely rare Group Strep A placenta infection, delivers miracle baby
“This never happens. EVER! My white blood cell count went from 16, already a little high, to 38,000. Yes, you read that right.”
‘She is probably tired.’ There was no movement. I found a glimmer of hope. I’d be with her every minute I could.’: Daughter born with Cerebral Palsy, ‘Her strength is inspiring’
“Even in our darkest hours, we find joy. Jaxlee’s smile can light up a room. She shines with joy but also resilience. She has weathered SO much.”
‘Get AWAY! You’re not my mom!’ I couldn’t believe what we’d gotten ourselves into. We were NOT cut out for this.’: Couple embarks on foster care journey, ‘It truly takes a village’
“‘You’re the LAST family on our list.’ They were going to be separated. ‘Can we really handle 2 kids right now?’ We COULDN’T be the reason they were separated. We agreed to ‘try.'”
‘Are you ready to meet your son?’ she asked with a big smile. 2 days earlier, I didn’t even know he existed. There was no turning back.’: Couple shares beautiful adoption journey
“We got a call from our caseworker. ’Can you be in Georgia tomorrow?’ I answered ‘YES’ without a second of hesitation. My husband silently mouthed to me, ‘Are you nuts?’ I knew. My heart was pounding, but I knew.”
‘Can you quit drinking to support me?’ It felt so unfair. Why should I give up drinking when HE was the alcoholic?’: Mom celebrates 5 years sober, ‘I’m truly proud of the person I am today’
“I honestly had to think about it. I was devastated at the thought of divorce but the thought of a life without alcohol seemed unbearable.”
‘What if I can’t help people learn Kit’s song? Do I know his song? Does he?’ Then it dawned on me. I’m not the composer of his masterpiece. He is.’: Mom to son with autism says ‘his world is beautiful’
“No parent chooses their kids’ song. Kids aren’t like a jukebox. As long as we can find music our children love, we must be doing something right.”
‘Why would he want to take on my baggage?’ Most days I was a puddle of tears, ashamed I’d ended up a statistic.’: Divorcees marry and create beautifully blended family, ‘We’re unbreakable’
“How would this work? I was divorced with 3 kids, he was divorced with 3 kids. I had to realize I was worthy of LOVE again.”
‘I must be crazy.’ The façade was crumbling. I had a rash on my face, feet, and hands. I tried to smile and stay strong.’: Lupus warrior shares journey, ‘I am STRONG and radiant’
“I participated in an online course about ‘positivity,’ which aligned perfectly with my mentality of sugarcoating all my symptoms. I thought to myself, ‘All this can’t be true.’”
‘I think she has some fractures.’ Nobody knew what was wrong with me. The pain was EVERYWHERE.’: Chronic illness warrior fights to ‘stay positive’
“All my problems, physical and mental, changed me. I get more medical visits than visits from my friends. But I still need to see the positives in life.”
‘Your daddy has gone with the angels.’ I hadn’t even processed my mom’s death. I returned home to my things in black bags, and a social worker ready to take me.’: Woman recounts healing journey after losing 3 parents, brother to cancer
“After my mom and dad died of cancer, the woman who had finally given me a chance in life, believed in me, and treated my like her own was taken away so cruelly — cancer again. I was classified as homeless. I tarnished myself with the name ‘Bad Omen.’ Death followed me everywhere.”
‘We don’t need language to know what makes her happy. I want nothing more than to see her succeed.’: Mom recounts daughter’s journey to autism diagnosis, ‘She was made for our family’
“We witness mini-miracles every single day. There’s a new, fierce, protective kind of unconditional love for her we wouldn’t have otherwise known.”
‘It’s ironic how a bag of poo attached to my stomach could change my whole perspective on life.’: Chronic illness warrior overcomes anorexia, advocates for disabilities, ‘I’m finally comfortable in my skin’
“Wanting to be normal came at a price. Now, when I look in the mirror, I don’t cry anymore.”
‘If you were MY kid and got that grade, I’d send you back to where you came from.’ My mother never waivered.’: Transracial adoptee finds identity, ‘I feel nothing but admiration and empathy for my birth mother’
“Your birth mother’s words poured off the page as though she’d been waiting to tell this story for years. It was as if she couldn’t write fast enough.’ It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.”
‘My visa was denied.’ I never thought I’d be a single parent with a partner on the other side of the world.’: Solo mom raises son alone during lockdown, ‘I have hope we’ll be together again’
“Two days before flying back to America, I found out I was pregnant. I sat in the bathroom and sobbed. I wanted his comfort during pregnancy and birth. The thought of doing it alone was overwhelming.”
‘My daughter yelled, ‘We’re getting a sister baby!’ We HAD to make a decision. Say yes? Say no? Our hearts grew 3 sizes.’: Couple adopts after second infertility battle, ‘A weight has been lifted from our hearts’
“Case after case passed us by. Finally, Drew pointed right to her case and said, ‘That’s the one.’”
‘Will you marry me?’ It was the easiest YES I’ve ever said. We daydreamed about adoption until suddenly, it wasn’t a daydream anymore.’: Lesbian couple share emotional love, adoption story
“There wasn’t enough representation of lesbians adopting through foster care. It’s hard to find stories like ours.”