“I heard the news of him having children, joining a church, and getting sober. I messaged Zach one day to tell him how proud I was of him I was. I grabbed my phone off the counter and called my mom. ‘I’m bleeding and it won’t stop.’ I could FEEL Zach’s presence. It is something many don’t believe. But I felt it. I will never ever deny this happening.”
‘I got the news my ‘first love’ passed away. I grabbed my phone. ‘I’m bleeding and it won’t stop.’ I also felt an overwhelming presence beside me.’: Woman finds faith after near-death experience, ‘I’m living proof of the power of prayer’
‘Her hard may be little compared to your hard, but she has reason to feel overwhelmed, and she deserves your empathy.’: Mom says ‘push judgement aside, no one’s having an easy time right now’
“She’s stuck in quarantine, alone with her kids, and trying to figure out how to homeschool and be their source of entertainment. She doesn’t have time to get anything done for herself. Yes, her hard may be little compared to your hard, but she has reason to feel overwhelmed.”
‘She said, ‘We know a doctor who says this is all fake.’ Please stop making excuses to ‘get back to your regular life.’: Mom urges ‘please follow protocol to keep your fellow humans alive’
“It is not a huge sacrifice to follow protocol to keep your fellow humans alive. It never occurred to me my fellow suburbia moms were going to be the group that starts the life-threatening revolt against scientific guidelines, but here we are, y’all.”
‘I’m choosing to let my hair go. I’m waiting for my stylist for however long the shutdown goes on. It’s tough out there right now.’: Woman advocates for hair stylists, ‘Don’t forget about them’
“The stress and anxiety are on the forefront. Do you see those roots? It’s hard to miss as those canceled hair appointments start to pile up.”
‘I WILL have you pregnant within 3 cycles.’ We endured the loss of 8 embryos. No baby.’: Woman describes infertility battle, ‘Never give up, no matter how tough the battle’
“He said we were still so young and not to worry. My husband and I entered the dark world of empty bank accounts, bruised, battered, and botched up bodies from countless procedures, a home with stained walls from our screams and a carpet soaked in tears. Not being able to conceive children has really taken a toll.”
This Brave Covid-19 Patient Inspired Me To Stay Strong During The Pandemic
“Whether he knows it or not, he will be my silent warrior and guide as I take care of every patient, COVID or not. He will fuel me until the day I hang up my stethoscope.”
‘Surgery will leave you with a colostomy bag.’ A bag on my stomach I poop into for the rest of my life?’: Mom of three conquers colorectal cancer, ‘I was going to beat this, there was no other option’
“I thought I was too young for cancer. Turns out, I wasn’t. I didn’t know how I was going to survive this and be left with a good life after, if I did survive.”
‘I’d give anything to spend Saturday mornings searching for soccer jerseys and fighting with my ex-husband about who is going to take which kid where.’: Mom says ‘if we can get through this, we are unstoppable’
“Two months ago, I was angry at my ex-husband for signing the kids up for so many different activities. How was I going to manage the spring sports schedules of my 3 children? I fought with him in public and couldn’t let it go. I lost sleep over it. And guess what? It was all a waste of time.”
‘The last bouquet of funeral flowers are withering away. ‘Why, Kinsley?’ the girls ask. I don’t have an answer. It’s been 30 days without our ‘sunshine.’: Woman looks for ‘signs’ a month after losing daughter to flu, ‘I can feel her’
“I respond with, ‘I don’t know but I miss her too.’ Originally, I had thought she came back as a bird, just to be annoying. But now I think she is playing a much bigger hand with God.”
Why I Want My Mom With Alzheimer’s To Die From Covid-19
“When I learned Covid-19 was rampant in eldercare facilities I wondered, ‘Was this the ‘out’ I had been long praying for?’ I determined that yes, yes it was.”
‘I’m not entitled to a place in this world. A crowded mall. A crowded anything.’: Woman says ‘remind me again and again, to never take for granted this life’
“Dinner dates with friends when you’re just not up to it. The calls from co-workers when you just don’t want to talk about work anymore. Living for the weekend, for the vacation, for the future, when every day feels like one big blur of days. The same faces, the same building, the same good ole’ American routine.”
‘I know this may sound strange, but you can drive my car to work. We won’t need it.’ My car battery was dead. I was already late to the hospital.’: Nurse vows to ‘pay it forward’ after stranger’s act of kindness
“I’m standing there, irritated, overwhelmed, and in scrubs, and the man says, ‘So, you’re a nurse?’ This man literally handed me the keys to his Prius. I drove his car to work crying most of the way.”
‘I park in the handicapped spot. ‘You should be ashamed.’ All of a sudden this woman is yelling words like ‘report’ and ‘police.’: Double amputee pens PSA for ‘handicapped parking vigilantes’
“It’s a cold winter day. I’m rushing to my car to get out of the wind. All of a sudden, I hear a woman yelling at me. I try to calm her down by telling her, ‘It’s OK. I really am handicapped!’ But NOOOO, she will not accept that.”
‘When he is older, how do I explain this?’ We handed over a tiny 3-month-old for his first open-heart surgery.’: Mom of heart warrior thanks those who helped, ‘He lived, and so much of that is due to all of you’
“He shows his scar to everyone. Sometimes he will say, ‘I saved Mommy from a great white shark, look, guys!’ Other times, he just tells people, ‘I had heart surgery!’ The first question immediately is always, ‘Did it hurt, Finn!?’ He just sweetly replies no and then wants to play. He lived. We all did.”
‘Can you move out of the way?’ Everyone in the store stopped what they were doing, looked up. It was the first voice I’d heard in 20 minutes.’: Woman details ‘awkward’ shopping experience during pandemic, ‘This has changed us’
“Suddenly I could see people’s eyes. Almost all had masks on. No one was chitchatting or smiling. Was that a cough? I swear I just heard a cough? Yup. Glare. She should not be out in public right now? There were no couples, no one leisurely strolling around with a cup of Starbucks in hand. Not today.”
‘I thought it was allergies. It started with a dry cough and the slightest tickle in my throat. I didn’t think twice.’: Woman explains how to navigate coronavirus diagnosis while battling anxiety
“It was a waiting game to see if I’d need to seek medical care. My fever broke, and I was starting to feel better. Then, a new wave of symptoms came. It had moved into my chest for the first time, and it felt like there were a ton of bricks lying on me. The trajectory was a roller coaster. “
‘Kerri, get a grip!’ the doctor said. I could only take Tylenol after surgery. I was sure I was going to die.’: Woman with arthrogryposis muscle disorder says ‘nothing is impossible with a fighter’s soul’
“I looked like a pretzel, but my mom wasn’t able to hold me for hours. Doctors started discussing ‘options.’ They told her I wouldn’t be able to do much. They said I would be better off if my parents decided to sign me over to the state. My mom immediately asked to be transferred.”
‘The doctor passed along his last words: ‘I love my grandkids.’ It was unreal how fast the virus took him.’: Woman shares ode to father lost to coronavirus, ‘I will make him proud’
“Just 2 days before, we were laughing and making plans for summer. He was excited about his stimulus check because he wanted to buy the grandkids something nice, and a portable oxygen machine so he could travel to visit us. It was always his dream to come here and see the ocean for the first time. He spoke of it every day. Now, I had to tell my children their Pap, their best friend, was gone.”
‘If I ever catch someone in my newsfeed talking about doctors being ‘bought by big pharma’ again I’ll shoot lasers from my eyes.’: Woman defends healthcare workers. ‘Remember that they showed up, every day’
“Don’t talk about health care heroes right now, post a few memes, then in a few more months go back to trashing the profession. Remember who you leaned on in times of crisis. Remember who showed up, even as their colleagues were dying.”
‘I was the superficial party girl. I lost my fabulous cleavage and all my beautiful hair, the two things I felt made me beautiful.’: Woman finds self-love after battle with breast cancer, ‘It gave me the kick I needed to transform’
“I wasted most of life achieving nothing. There was no dancing on the bar with cleavage showing and crazy, curly hair. I had to find another way to make myself happy, I had nowhere else to look but within myself.”
‘Please. I have nowhere to quarantine. I just need something to eat.’ This man didn’t want a mask or hand sanitizer. He just wanted food.’: Woman urges ‘don’t forget about our homeless brothers and sisters’
“Today I broke quarantine for the first time to go to the ATM. From first glance, I could tell he did not have a home. His clothes were tattered and soaked. This man didn’t want hand sanitizer. He didn’t want toilet paper, gloves, or even a mask. He just wanted food. Something we’ve all stocked up on ourselves. My heart broke for him.”
‘This was NOT in the plan. Everyone was supposed to stay home.’ His daughter had been to Walmart and the grocery store a few days prior.’: Stepmom urges ‘keep everyone as safe as you possibly can’
“I could tell they were having a heated conversation. I took the boys to the backyard and waited. His hands were shaky as he called her mom and said she had to come to pick her up. I was so frustrated. Here he was, telling his daughter she has to go home before she even gets out of the car.”
‘For the mom who isn’t sure she can make it another day inside her house…you’re doing this beautifully.’: Mom says ‘hold tight, we’ll get through this together’
“You got out of bed this morning. You fed your children and took care of your responsibilities. Maybe you took a shower and got yourself ready. That’s courage, mama. You were chosen for this moment, for such a time as this.”
‘This isn’t the time to be stirring up legal arguments — for your sake, but mostly for your stepkids. This part of their lives will be in history books.’: Mom says co-parenting during the pandemic is a pivotal moment, ‘Allow it to bring you together’
“Maybe your stepkids are with you right now. Maybe they’re with their mom and she would prefer not to send them back to you. When everything calms down, if you feel you’re entitled to ‘make up time’ or you’ve overpaid child support to help your ex through tough times, you can address it then.”
‘I just dropped off homework next to an empty parking lot and quiet sidewalks. I finally let some tears fall over the loss of this.’: Former teacher says ‘when you hear teachers say they miss their students, they really really do’
“I set the girls’ folders next to folders with their friends’ names — friends they haven’t seen in weeks. I finally let some tears fall over the loss of this. For them. For their teachers. For this school I love so much.”