“We were angry. We were scared. We tried to talk ourselves into believing the test was wrong. ‘Why did you choose me to be her mother?’ I felt so inadequate to raise a child with special needs.”
‘Are you going to keep her?’ We never thought it would happen to us. I prayed for her to be ‘normal.’: Mom details Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘She’s changed our lives’
To My Friend Who Would Rather Not Do Christmas This Holiday Season—I See You
“It’s okay if it all feels like too much. It’s okay if you are ready for it all to be over. I may not know what it’s like to walk in your shoes, but you are not alone.”
‘I don’t belong here.’ I had a hard time accepting myself. People were always trying to ‘fix’ me.’: Woman finds acceptance in Deaf community, ‘We have so much to offer’
“I was never invited to a friend’s house. At lunchtime, I couldn’t keep up. I was slapped because I pronounced words wrong. No one else shared my struggle. I found my community and never looked back.”
‘He doesn’t open presents, understand Santa Claus, or notice the glow of Christmas lights.’: Mom to son with autism candidly details holiday grief, ‘Special needs parents, I see you’
“The busy atmosphere and holiday rush put him into sensory overload. The magical memories faded as fast as his eye contact. But this year, after years of trying, he finally put the star on the tree.”
‘He saw my hand. ‘I was born like this.’ He left and stopped talking to me. I knew then I didn’t want to hide it anymore.’: Woman shares limb difference acceptance journey, ‘I have the right to a normal life’
“People loved me, loved the photo of a girl smiling with all her heart, even though she’s missing a limb. They saw my strength.”
‘You lift him up, no matter how heavy the world seems. You’re his safe place, his best friend. You became a hero in not just one, but two sets of eyes.’: Mom thanks daughter for being ‘hero’ to sibling with autism
“When he was diagnosed with autism, it changed nothing between you. You loved him for being himself. He doesn’t have to pretend with you. Back then, I didn’t truly know how much your role would mean. I’m so happy he has you to walk through this life together.”
‘I want to be a part of the race.’ I’d go full throttle on the joystick. I felt free from the burdens of my disease.’: Man details journey with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, ‘I’ll always be strong’
“It was an adrenaline rush. In those brief seconds, the freedom was priceless. The thin line of scar down most of my back is a reminder of how I’ll always stay strong.”
How I Healed My Toxic Relationship With My Body
“My life’s purpose is not to lose weight. It’s to live my life’s purpose.”
‘That’s enough to knock out a horse.’ I sobbed, begging the nurses for help. I can’t blame them. I was pregnant junkie.’: Woman recovers from drug addiction, ‘There’s always hope’
“Without the pills, I was sick. I couldn’t afford to be in withdrawals and take care of a baby. On my first Mother’s Day, I tried heroin. The emptiness I felt was unbearable. I had to fight for our lives.”
‘When she opened her eyes, I knew something wasn’t normal. ‘She doesn’t look like I thought she would.’ The room got quiet.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s a DREAM’
“The doctor stitching me up stopped and very calmly said, ‘She might have some markers for Down syndrome.’ The nurse panicked. In my mind, I kept saying, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’”
‘Something’s off. I’m married to someone I love. I have a good job. I’m healthy. Things are good.’ Until they WEREN’T.’: Woman shares divorce, mental health journey, ‘Only YOU have control over your destiny’
“I woke up to the news my grandfather had passed away. And 3 hours later, I was signing my divorce papers. I decided I was done. I was done feeling sorry for myself.”
‘My doctors said, ‘This is enough.’ I knew they were right. My body was giving up on me. I was a prisoner of my own mind.’: Woman shares anorexia recovery journey, ‘I’m fighting for my future’
“My weight dropped dangerously low. Everything ached: my skin, my bones, my muscles. I destroyed myself. I’d never felt so weak, isolated, and depressed. I decided it was enough.”
‘Is there something we can do?’ We watched his heartbeat fade. We weren’t supposed to meet this way.’: Couple battling miscarriages welcome rainbow baby, ‘We’ll NEVER forget them’
“I told him, ‘I’m so sorry.’ It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I hated that I failed him. I screamed at God, ‘Give me my baby back!’ This isn’t what I wanted for either of us.“
‘Don’t BUG me, I’m having the baby and it ends up where it ends up.’ Mom refused medical care. It was a waiting game.’: Parents foster-to-adopt siblings, ‘We can’t wait to see who comes next’
“‘It’s a girl! I don’t know where she is!’ I sent her a backpack full of food, toiletries, notes from our daughter, prenatal vitamins and clothes, yet she wouldn’t accept it.”
‘It’s rare and aggressive.’ I wanted to be aggressive right back. I wanted to survive.’: Breast cancer advocate celebrates 10 years cancer-free, ‘I’m right where I’m meant to be’
“They chipped off a piece of tumor. I thought, ‘I might be staring right at cancer.’ My world turned upside-down. Could this really be happening? I felt the urge to do something.”
‘I can’t breathe.’ My vision faded. Life wasn’t worth living. I was too expensive to be kept alive.’: Woman battles Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, ‘I’m on the road to acceptance’
“I left the ER with no answers. I began to give voice to the intense pain I experienced daily. ‘Something is very wrong with you!’ I smiled. Finally, someone believed me.”
‘The cashier said, ‘How old is your baby? She’s old. She doesn’t need to be breastfed.’: Mom urges ‘it’s none of your business how long someone nurses their child for’
“Since when is there a time limit on nursing your child? I’m 18 months in and she has no interest in stopping, and quite frankly, neither do I.”
‘I’m cutting ties with you, mom. This is not the life I want for my children. I’m setting myself free.’: Mother battling meth addiction 3 years sober after wake-up call goes viral
“‘I promise to help you raise them.’ While you were in jail, I cried for you as they prepped me for an emergency C-section at 16. Pregnant with twins. I desperately needed you there to hold my hand. My love could never keep you sober.”
‘I want to do one of those bikini shows.’ My ribs were visible and my face was sunken in. My body was dying.’: Former bodybuilder shares recovery journey, ‘You’re whole just as you are’
“My life revolved around food. I ripped apart eggs to only eat the whites, not the yolks. I ate the same amount of calories as a 3-year-old. My life was a train wreck.”
‘Let’s build it by hand!’ I didn’t know if we could do it. Now, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.’: Couple converts shuttle bus into ‘home on wheels,’ ‘It was built with so much love’
“Growing up, I heard adults hint, ‘Travel while you are young!’ We looked at plane tickets, but a week later, our flight was canceled. We agreed we needed a firm foundation to build on.”
‘Are you sure we’re ‘called’ to do this? We had our plan to become parents. Then I had a dream like no other.’: Couple pursues foster care after ‘lifelike’ dream, ‘It’s SO worth it’
“‘We’re by NO means equipped to care for someone else’s child. We don’t even have OUR OWN kids.’ I knew I couldn’t just let that dream pass me by.”
‘My 14-year-old came into the bedroom with distressed eyes. ‘I was panicking last night and couldn’t sleep.’ This is the third time in 3 weeks.’: Mom stands in the gap for daughter battling anxiety
“I wish there was a simple fix. A magical playlist to erase her anxieties and ease the panic. I can’t take this burden from her, but I can wrap her in my embrace. For as long as she’ll let me, I will be her stand-in lullaby.”
How A Grieving Stranger’s Kindness Changed My Family’s Christmas Season Forever
“I stood there, speechless. Then he said something that shook me to my soul: ‘If my daughter was still here with us, I’d do the same for her.’ I sat in my car and cried tears of gratitude. Never would he know what this actually meant to me.”
‘No one understands me!’ I felt like I was drowning in feelings. I was afraid of losing what I thought was my identity.’: Transracial adoptee shares journey, ‘Families don’t have to look the same’
“I struggled to go to school each year. I’d feel nervous when I was separated from my mom in a new place. ‘I don’t feel good.’ It was my way of saying, ‘I’m anxious.’ I never put a name to those feelings.”
I’m Living In A Van, And It’s The Best Decision I’ve Ever Made
“The strength of our relationship is built into every bit of wood, every nail, and screw, within our tiny home.”