“They told me, ‘Take her home and let her heart give out.’ I kept going because SHE kept going. It was moment by moment.”
‘Why didn’t you abort her?’ I wanted to put her back in my tummy, where’d she be safe. She had IMMEDIATE surgery.’: Mom loses daughter to heart defect, ‘She shaped our lives’
‘Is Nicole going to die?’ It started with a twitch. Then she turned blue. It was like an arrow to the heart.’: Sisters diagnosed with ‘ultra-rare’ Batten Disease, ‘We’ll never stop fighting for them’
“I felt like the life had been sucked from me. ‘What are we going to do?’ I’ve never felt so helpless. We thought it was impossible for our hearts to break any further, but they did.”
‘He failed both of his hearing tests. ‘It’s just fluid.’ I could tell something wasn’t right. All of my hopes for him were RUINED.’: Mom advocates for son with hearing loss, ‘Trust your gut’
“I had no clue about hearing loss and had never even met a deaf person. I left that appointment in shambles, feeling so bad for my baby. ‘Is this my fault? Can it be reversed?’ I wanted Mason to experience waves crashing on the shore, crickets chirping at night, the giggles of his sisters. I wanted him to HEAR.”
‘I sobbed, clutching her to my chest. ‘There’s an abnormality.’ It has no treatment, no cure. It’ll NEVER go away.’: Mom advocates for ‘one in a million’ baby with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood
“In fleeting moments, little movements would catch my eyes. I asked her pediatrician, ‘Are you sure there isn’t anything going on?’ One morning, I knew something was wrong. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea how bad.”
Kind Beef Barn Employees Go Above And Beyond To Accommodate Boy With Autism
“Thank you to the employees at Beef Barn for your kindness, compassion, and willingness to support and include ALL members of the community. I am forever grateful for those who stand in the gap.”
‘I was IMMEDIATELY sent to conversion therapy and a ‘sexual-healing’ facility. I had to blend in with ‘good Christian folk.’: Trans person finds their identity, ‘Living authentically gives me freedom’
“After discovering our relationship, her parents locked her inside her home, got her fired from her job, removed all access to any phones, internet, or car. My parents saw my actions as sinful, and deserving of punishment.”
‘That’s just the coke talking!’ I shook 5 Ambien into my hand. It had become a full-blown dragon.’: Former addict celebrates 20 years of sobriety. ‘I made the mess into a lesson’
“I didn’t think of prescription drugs as ‘drugs.’ I washed pills down with Amstel Light. I thought I was doing what I needed to do to sleep.”
‘I’m concerned about BOTH girls.’ We assumed they were ‘happy and healthy’ babies. Our reality became a movie.’: Twins have HECW2 rare genetic disorder, ‘We’re equipped for what’s to come’
“We began to wonder if something was ‘not right.’ The moment she stopped breathing, I crumbled.”
‘You have a tough road ahead.’ That was an understatement. I had to accept the possibility of dying before I really got to live.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I’ve so much to be grateful for’
“My fiancé broke off our engagement. ‘I miss having physical relations.’ I was too sick. I’ll probably never get married and I’ll definitely never have kids. My journey has taught me to find joy in the little things.”
This Mom’s List of Pandemic ‘Parenting Fails’ Is So Relatable
“My 6-year-old plays Fortnite all day. My kids could sleep with a tablet in their bed and I wouldn’t give a flying hoot anymore, as long as they’re quiet. I’ve let the boys wrestle like they’re in a cage fight, right in front of me, and I haven’t done a thing. My selective hearing has really improved.”
‘You’re bleeding behind your eyes.’ I drank to forget the pain. Internally, I was completely dead. I’d never felt so alone.’: Man details addiction recovery journey, ‘I completely changed my life’
“I was walking to my dealer’s car when suddenly four police cars turned up. You’d be amazed at how blind when you are in full-blown addiction. I didn’t care what happened to me.”
‘Mom, I don’t like my hands.’ Her gloves always had an extra space. She came to me with her piggy bank, begging for four-fingered gloves.’: Little girl with limb difference ‘beaming with joy’ after gifted custom gloves
“For the first time, she realized she was ‘different.’ This was her cascading moment. This meant something. I put it out there, hoping for ideas, suggestions, anything. And the glorious interconnectivity of the internet answered back.”
‘This is a perfectly safe option.’ I LOVED how I looked. Then they tried to kill me. I couldn’t get them out of my body fast enough.’: Mom beats Breast Implant Illness, ‘This could SAVE your life’
“I struggled with loving my post-baby body. ‘Things’ seemed to have ‘deflated’ and headed south, if you know what I mean. I thought implants were ‘perfectly safe.’ What could go wrong?”
‘What are you wearing? You look like a clown!’ I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I vowed to never be ‘too much’ again.’: Woman shares self-love journey, ‘I finally feel like ME’
“I started dieting and skipping meals. ‘I’ll be happy when I’m skinny.’ I wore a pair of those sucking-in underwear to make sure I felt thin. I felt squished. I realized I looked absolutely no different without them, but I felt a million times better. I’ve never worn a pair since.”
‘I got a life-altering call. ‘Can you come pick up your nephew?’ He was born with drugs in his system. No one warned us about the toll.’: Couple adopts nephew, ‘Our house is his forever home’
“She’d been sneaking Bailey’s into her coffee cup while breastfeeding. He’d cry and bang in his crib until he formed a bump on his head. We transitioned from being ‘aunt and uncle’ to ‘mom and dad.’”
‘Dear friend, it’s still me. Well, sort of. I’m no longer popping bottles, I’m pouring milk into them. I’m canceling a lot and it’s hard to explain why.’: Mom to newborn says ‘please keep inviting me, it means more than you know’
“I know you messaged me this morning…or was it yesterday? It’s all a bit of a blur and my phone is buried somewhere on my bedside that has never felt so small. I so badly want to reconnect with you, but I’m trying to reconnect with me too.”
‘I’m sorry he won’t stop whining. I don’t want to ruin your flight.’ She smiles, puts her arms out. ‘May I hold him for you?’: Military spouse thanks strangers for acts of kindness on flight, ‘They lifted my burdens’
“I was just a military wife solo parenting, trying to survive while my husband was in a war zone. I didn’t get her name. She probably doesn’t even remember us, but I will never forget her.”
‘She’s losing a LOT of blood.’ They took me, leaving my partner and baby behind, not knowing if I’d see them again.’: Mom survives post-birth hemorrhage, ‘Doctors and midwives saved my life’
“My husband saw them rushing with blood for my transfusion. They didn’t update him. He assumed the worst had happened.”
‘You won’t remember Christmas, but I hope you remember how special we made you feel.’: Mom shares heartfelt letter to non-verbal son
“You don’t understand the burly man in a red suit, the great food, or the little baby sitting in a manger. On Christmas Day, I’ll take pictures in hopes you will one day look at them and remember. That you’ll remember I tried. I pray one day you’ll be able to communicate what you’re feeling. I’ll wait an eternity if it takes that long.”
‘The pain became unbearable. ‘I know someone who’s healed people through acupressure.’ I FINALLY felt at home.’: Woman details holistic health journey, ‘It gifted me my life back’
“She said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’ I went to her house every day for 4 months. She made me feel normal and helped me understand my gifts. I realized I am FAR more capable than I’d originally thought.”
‘Now I’ll be taken seriously.’ I had bruises everywhere and my hair was falling out. I took laxatives every day. I’d gone too far.’: Woman shares eating disorder recovery, ‘Hope is stronger’
“I wasn’t eating anything anymore. All I consumed was 25 cans of Coke Zero a day. I’d sit and wait until the day was over to see if I had lost more weight. I was about to kick my boyfriend out of my life to isolate myself and make more room for anorexia.”
‘I started preparing for another childless Christmas. I got a text. ‘Are you still interested in adopting?’ My heart stopped.’: Couple adopts after infertility battle, ‘It felt like a dream’
“I told everyone a little one would join our family before Christmas. As we sat around the table, it hit me I might just be wrong. I was standing in the kitchen with my family, saying our goodbyes when I got a text from our agency. Now my heart was beating faster than ever.”
‘I knew I was going to die. That night, my phone rang. ‘You’re not alone.’ I didn’t even know him, but he saved my life.’: Paramedic shares journey with addiction, ‘You are HUMAN and SO worthy’
“My 31st birthday came. I kept all the receipts so I could return the gifts and give everyone their money back. No one knew this, but I was going to die in 4 days. I was prepared. I was the calmest I’d felt in years.”
‘All babies are different,’ he assured us. I was a new mom. I didn’t have any basis for comparison. With just a few words, my heart shattered.’: Mom shares son’s autism diagnosis, ‘I follow his lead’
“It hit us like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, everything I envisioned for my child’s life went out the window. Going through life being different from everyone else seemed impossible.”
‘Did it work?’ I didn’t say anything. I just put my head down, knowing our dream was over.’: Couple battling infertility pursue embryo adoption, ‘We’re so grateful for this journey’
“We sat in the doctor’s office on Valentine’s Day. ’The surgery wasn’t successful. There’s a .02% chance for genetic children.’ I was desperate at this point. I even contacted the local animal shelter to see if they had any kittens. I was spiraling.”