“One night, I woke up crying in pain. ‘Please just cut my leg off!’ I lost my childhood, my innocence. Just as life started to feel normal, my scans weren’t coming back clear. There was something in my lung and no one knew what it was.”
‘She said the words I hoped to never hear again, ‘You have cancer.’ I know life isn’t fair, but 3 times? It felt downright cruel.’: Mom shares cancer journey, ‘While I’m changed, I’m still here’
‘I WILL find you again.’ My heart was turned upside down by a 3-year-old.’: Woman becomes life-long orphan advocate, ‘There are so many ways to be family’
“‘I know my odds aren’t great to find a family.’ The children were simply numbers. But he held out hope. We both did.”
‘I was accepted into Juilliard. I’d worked SO hard, and suddenly I couldn’t even do what I was there to do. I was forced to STOP.’: Musician details struggle with connective tissue disease, ‘My health became priority’
“I practiced 2 hours the day before, but when I got to class I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I ran out of the classroom and cried. I HAD to acknowledge my pain.”
‘Aunty Dana, are all angels white or can they be brown, too?’ I was ashamed. All the angels on display in my home were white.’: New mom reflects on Christmas traditions, ‘Angels come in all colors’
“I worried about how I’d pass down my family and cultural traditions. How could I make sure they saw themselves in the Christmas festivities? The next thing I knew, I had my first piece of the puzzle – a beautiful black angel.”
‘I feel like we’re meant to have more kids.’ I replied, ‘But you’re snipped!’ I started to ugly cry and I knew my heart was opened.’: Mom welcomes rainbow baby, ‘Our family wouldn’t be the same’
“We dropped my husband off at the doctor and BAM! Our ability to have more children was gone. I remember thinking, ‘It’s crazy such a massive, life-altering decision can carry out in only minutes.’ I mourned the loss of the kiddos we didn’t have but I had moved on… Or so I thought!”
‘You’re a match!’ It was life-changing. Now I look at the words ‘Donate Life’ and truly understand the meaning.’: Mom donates kidney to newborn son, ‘It’s the best thing I’ve ever done’
“Noah was unstable and constantly suffering through seizures. We didn’t realize until a few days later his kidneys had failed. They were shocked he made it.”
‘Each test was negative. ‘But I did everything right.’ I was so discouraged. My heart was aching for the intended parents.’: Woman details surrogacy journey, ‘It’s all worth it’
“I felt so overwhelmed, like I was going to mess something up, and I hadn’t even started yet. There’s a weight of carrying someone else’s child that’s much heavier than your own.”
‘I can’t do this on my own!’ He missed hearing our baby’s heartbeat. Our due date was coming and I was a nervous wreck.’: New mom details pandemic pregnancy, ‘Cherish every moment’
“My bump was finally starting to pop! I was on cloud nine. I had so many plans… and then the world was tipped upside down. I wanted to run and hide my baby from this horrible virus.”
‘What if I don’t feel good or get sick?’ I was nervous to leave the house. I let the ‘what ifs’ have control over me.’: Woman shares mental health journey, ‘Don’t be afraid to get help’
“As the years went on, the anxiety would come and go in waves. I’d have nights where I would lay in bed and not be able to sleep because of all the anxious thoughts racing through my head. I knew my fears were irrational, but I still let them control me.”
‘My long-lost sister called. ‘I’m alone. I need you to come pick me up.’ We’d been separated for years.’: 25-year-old becomes legal guardian for brother and sister after family separation, abuse
“My brother and sister had over 10 cavities, poor hygiene, and had been physically and mentally abused. I tucked them into bed. ‘You’re finally safe with me,’ I cried. I went from being responsible for one puppy to being the sole provider of my long-lost, 13-year-old twin siblings by night.”
‘We found a tumor.’ My stomach was stitched from hip to hip. I looked down to discover my spleen had broken through.’: Man battles Stage 3 Testicular Cancer, ‘Never doubt yourself’
“I began to lose the red hair that had always defined me. After a period of grieving, I told myself, ‘I can either give in or fight like hell to defeat this disease.’ Right then, I stopped feeling sorry for myself.”
‘Just one bite. It’s Christmas after all.’ I ran out of the room, crying. For over 10 years, I hated Christmas. I was terrified of it.’: Anorexia survivor says ‘I look for moments of joy’
“I spent Christmas after Christmas in fear. In fear of gaining weight. In fear of everything Christmas represents. ‘Do I want to spend the rest of my life reducing myself?’ Anorexia had wrapped its way around my brain.”
How An Act Of Kindness For A Stranger Christmas Shopping In Walmart Left Me In Tears
“He said, ‘This is the first Christmas I’ve ever celebrated.’ I could feel the pain in his statement. I wanted to give him what he wanted to give his children: peace, joy, and good memories.”
‘Mom, it’s funny to think when I’m a dad, I’ll have to wrap presents at night.’ I gave him a puzzled look. What was he talking about? ‘You know, mom. When you and dad go into your bedroom and close the door.’ OH.’: Mom shares amusing encounter with son
“‘Dad says y’all are going to wrap presents.’ Huh? The LAST thing his dad and I are doing back there is wrapping—oh, wait.”
‘Dear Snowflake, I hope you can come this year. I haven’t seen you in two years. Love, Quinn.’ I BROKE. This was HIS thing—he had a childlike enthusiasm for Christmas. How can I do it without him?’: Widowed mom shares hope for ‘a little Christmas magic’
“I swear I packed Snowflake and all of her accessories Matt bought over the years to make her laugh. When I unpacked, she was nowhere to be found. I thought maybe she would forget. She did not.”
‘You never leave. You ruin EVERYTHING. To some people, you’re just ‘a feeling.’ But I KNOW you’re the d*mn devil.’: ‘Husband with wife suffering from anxiety says ‘I’ll be there to remind her she ISN’T alone’
“I can’t simply say to my wife, who’s curled up in the fetal position, shaking and crying, trying to dodge your incoming blows, ‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ She knows that. But I love her harder than you’ll EVER hit her.”
‘When I got the call, I fell to my knees. ‘One more day. I just need to make it one more day to get this baby viable.’: Woman births baby after recovering from COVID-19, ‘We feel so blessed’
“We were careful with every single thing we did. Masks at all times, sanitizing, social distancing. There was no way I had it. I was ashamed and terrified my baby could die inside of me.”
‘I saw something shiny and turned into Sméagol. ‘My precious!’: Wife hilariously recounts lost engagement ring, ‘This ring will come with one heck of a story’
“It was around 8 p.m. when I found myself crying and crawling, mostly crying, on my hands and knees in the middle of a Publix parking lot. I imagined the ring traveling the streets of Miami stuck on a tire thread.”
‘Don’t go home, don’t stop for lunch. Go to the ER now.’ This joyous event was clouded over. We had no idea what to expect.’: Mom diagnosed with kidney disease, ‘My child saved my life’
“I felt very drained. I kept running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. My shoes wouldn’t fit, and my face was starting to look and feel puffy. Our precious child was now going to help Mommy fight for her life.”
‘I’m just going to the doctor.’ Dad never came back. I became the main caretaker at 9.’: Abandoned daughter makes it through foster care, ‘You have to turn pain into purpose’
“I tried to sleep in the same room as my brother, but the foster parents wouldn’t allow it. Imagine being stuck in a snowstorm, clothes stripped, your soul feeling empty and cold.”
‘I called my husband at 2 a.m. and quietly sobbed, ‘I need help.’ Christmas was no longer a safe space for me.’: New mom battles depression, ‘For the first time in years, there’s peace in my home’
“My husband made me a promise. ‘We’ll have our own Christmas tree next year.’ I felt hope for the first time in 3 years. My mental health waned as the pandemic continued with no end in sight. But I kept coming back to his promise and what it meant to me.”
‘This never happens. You’re safe.’ Black women are FOUR times more likely to die during childbirth.’: Mom and baby beat odds, ‘Our bond is unbreakable’
“She looked lifeless and was covered in wires. ‘You are so loved. I fought so hard to be with you.’ I soon became too weak to hold her. I realized I was bleeding. I tried to say, ‘Something’s wrong!’ but I passed out.”
‘Kids told him, ‘They don’t really want you!’ There was a sadness in his eyes. For me, it was love at first sight.’: Family adopts teen, ‘We’ll be here for him forever’
“’When can I visit?’ I didn’t have an answer. He’d lived in a residential facility for almost 2 years. I’m his second chance.”
The Emotional Moment I Decided It Was Time To Build Self-Love
“I walked into the dollar store last summer and had no idea I was about to discover one of the most moving messages.”
‘Something told me to buy it.’ How did she know I looked at it? ‘No one has forgotten about you.’: Mom receives gift of Christmas kindness, ‘I was being seen for my efforts’
“I wondered, ‘Does anyone see ME and what I’m doing?’ There was a Christmas package sitting in the pew. I saw the power of kindness. We all need a little of that this season.”