“My face feels like I’m pressing it on a stove burner. The pain stops me in my tracks and I’m unable to talk. I was told to ‘power through.’ I decided to advocate for myself.”
‘It’s called the suicide disease.’ Pus gushed out of my surgical site. Doctors didn’t take me seriously.’: Trigeminal Neuralgia warrior details journey, ‘Helping others gives my suffering purpose’
Tommy Pilling, Husband In Longest-Living Down Syndrome Couple, Dies From Covid-19
His sister-in-law writes, “We are in shock and are heartbroken. Thank you Tommy for showing me what unconditional love was.”
‘I’m only looking for a friend.’ I told myself I wasn’t destined for dating or marriage. I let my disability dictate that.’: Man with muscular dystrophy shares love story, ‘They gave me a new life’
“I had an alert in my inbox. ‘Hi, I’m Jenny.’ I did a double-take. Talking to her was the easiest thing I’d ever done. Neither one of us was looking for love, so we were both surprised when it found us!”
How To Navigate Holidays As A Blended Family
“Being divorced does not mean your kids will suffer. If you treat the situation correctly, you can give your kids a huge, extended family full of love, and gain some friends in the process!”
’I’m going to play outside!’ I called for him but he didn’t answer. I saw him by a tree. Then I saw the rope.’: Mom loses son to deadly internet trend, ‘No child is immune to this’
“It resembles suicide, but it’s not. His bullies DARED him to do this the day before he died.”
‘We either need to end things or get married.’ I was completely blind to what she was doing. I thought I’d found my forever.’: Domestic violence survivor urges ‘you will find love’
“I was blinded by my affection. I found myself escaping into the stairwell to cry, several times a day for weeks. I purchased makeup to cover the bruises, but it slowly wore me out. I could no longer pretend I was okay.”
‘Your chances of naturally conceiving are less than 1%.’ I’d spent half my life dreaming of being a mom. I was shattered.’: Couple share ‘miraculous’ parenthood journey, ‘Life is precious’
“We closed the door on having biological children. I woke up to ten missed calls from my husband. ‘I know how we’re going to grow our family!’ We’d just found our greatest blessing.”
‘Shayla, stop bothering me!’ Now, 7 years later, I’d give anything to hear her call to me. I long to hear my baby say, ‘Mommy.’: Autism mom shares daughter’s diagnosis, ‘We’re her voice’
“We knew it was coming. I thought I was prepared to hear it, to see it made official. I was not. ‘She has autism.’ I was in denial. How could I have done this to my baby?”
‘My cousin is pregnant and incarcerated.’ Could it be real? I told him, ‘This MIGHT be the answer to our prayers.’: Couple pens emotional adoption journey, ‘She WILL know where she came from’
“I took one look at her and said, ‘She’s perfect.’ We had to sit nervously and wait. It was the most nerve-wracking 24 hours of my life.”
‘If you had autism, you’d be a unicorn.’ My social life was thriving, but I was a mess on the inside. I hated not being myself.’: Woman shares autism diagnosis journey, ‘My differences are a gift’
“I was told I was special or unique. I was the center of attention, and not in a good way. From the clothes I wore to the things I said, everything was wrong. I couldn’t fit in with the ‘normal’ people.”
‘No one hugged me and said, ‘Congratulations!’ I celebrated silently. I felt like I’d messed up the timeline.’: Single mom navigates unplanned motherhood
“I sat on my bathroom floor alone in my apartment at 3:00 a.m. ‘There’s no way!’ I wanted to smile, touch my belly, and be excited, but I was scared. I spent the entire first trimester worried about what everyone else thought.”
‘I told a woman at the gym my son got into college. She replied, ‘Don’t celebrate too openly, other families may still be waiting.’: Special needs mom explains importance of celebrating milestones, ‘Let us have this’
“I felt a flicker of rage so strong I had to look down at my hands for a moment.”
‘Oh god, did I just pee myself?!’ I watched the midwife’s face suddenly drop. ‘I am SO sorry, but your amniotic sac has broken.’ I was only 18 weeks pregnant.’: Mom births warrior 1-pound baby, ‘I’m holding a living, breathing miracle’
“The doctors gave me pitiful looks and left the room. I sat there, alone, stunned. Miscarry?! Was that even a term they used at 18 weeks pregnant?! My baby had a heartbeat. I put my hand on my stomach; I could feel little flutters in my stomach. No, I thought. I’m not miscarrying. Not today.”
‘I live in physical agony. The sea welcomed me into her icy embrace. The first touch of water began to lick my pain away.’: Chronic illness warrior finds pain relief, ‘The tools are within us’
“No reservations of nerves played on my mind. I tasted the salted air and strode into the ocean. You begin to realize nothing really mattered but your mind, your focus, your control. ‘Until next time, my love. I will be back.’”
‘It’s Stage 4.’ Two years into the adoption process, I had a strange urge to take a pregnancy test.’: Mom battling endometriosis, infertility births miracle twins after 1,460 days of trying
“Fast forward 2 weeks. Jay and I were shaking at the knees, anxious for more negative news. After few moments of silence, the ultrasound tech muttered, ‘I think I see another heartbeat here. Yep, I definitely see two.’ After 1,460 days of trying, every single tear, heartache, and moment of suffering was worth it.”
2021—This Year I’m Making The Rules
“2020 has taught me some things I’m not sure I would have ever learned.”
‘We need Native American families for these kids. Are you interested?’ It took us two seconds to say, ‘Yes, we’re ready.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘Every child deserves a family’
“When you hold these sweet babies in your arms, you’re entrusted with a lot. They need you showing up for them, fighting for them. No one else is doing it. All you need is a heart that has room to love them. Everything else falls into place.”
‘Whatever it is, we can fix it.’ She was exceeding milestones, then she started regressing.’: Parents pass law to save others after losing daughter to Krabbe disease
“Justin asked, ‘Is she okay?’ They said, ‘Yes, she is perfect!’ We heard a knock on the door. Our world shattered. I prayed they’d find a cure.”
‘My daughter said, ‘When you were married, you always fought. I’m happy now.’ Don’t think staying together for the kids will help.’: Mom shares co-parenting journey, ‘It won’t be this hard forever’
“I woke up from brain surgery knowing this was my second chance. This was not a marriage to be proud of. The kids deserved better, and so did we. The divorce was the best thing that ever happened to us.”
‘We think you have depression.’ I felt like a freak. What would people say? I thought no one could ‘fix’ me.’: Woman becomes mental health advocate, ‘This is my purpose’
“I started skipping classes. My family called me, but I ignored them. I didn’t actually know what depression was. All I knew about it were the cheesy commercials advertising anti-depressants. I felt ashamed of myself.”
‘What do we do now?!’ We NEVER thought kids would be in the cards, but here we were with TWINS!’: LGBTQ couple inspired to become parents after mom’s passing, have twins through surrogacy
“I got a text on our honeymoon: ‘You should call Mom.’ My heart started to pound. She made us realize it was time to start a family. We never thought we’d see the day we’d want CHILDREN, let alone TWO!”
‘He tells his therapist, ‘You’re my best friend!’ I wish I could tell my past self, ‘Don’t worry. He’s going to be okay.’: Mom shares son’s journey with ADHD, autism, ‘He amazes us every day’
“It was as if his motor was running ALL the time. He ran when he should walk, climbed when he should sit, and jumped when he should stand.”
‘The house had no roof or door. He was lying on a towel. ‘You should adopt him!’ He was abandoned with his sisters.’: Couple adopts siblings after missionary work
“‘Can I hold him?’ I went in with an open heart, not knowing what to expect, and my heart came back full. I HAD to do something.”
‘Ew, look at her face!’ Kids would call me a monster and run away. My scars FORCED me to stand out.’: Burn survivor shares self-love journey, ‘I wear my flaws like diamonds’
“At 13, I told myself, ‘I’ll never fit in. I’ll never be able to hide in a crowd.’ I embraced the spotlight and added a red carpet! You’re staring? Let me give you a show.”
‘When are you hopping on the baby train?’ I didn’t want a baby. I wanted to spend my money on traveling and selfish things, not diapers.’: New mom says motherhood is ‘easily the best thing to happen to me’
“Even after 7 years of marriage, a baby was the furthest thing from my mind. I felt like I was being left behind. ‘How can a teacher not want kids? Am I a good person?’ The idea of having kids was terrifying.”