“They say in New York you only get two out of three: a great career, love, or apartment. I had all three. By all accounts, I had a perfect life. Then my husband dropped a bomb on me.”
‘I want a divorce.’ I was blindsided. In one moment, my entire life turned upside down. I needed to escape it all.’: Woman shares healing journey after divorce, ‘You WILL be happy again’
‘I drove with a huge cooler full of milk, sobbing. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.’: Mom donates 10,000 ounces of breast milk to moms in need
“Breastfeeding may be natural, but that absolutely does not mean it is easy.”
‘I lived a double life, high schooler by day and patient by night. I hid my illnesses out of pure embarrassment.’: Chronic illness warrior shares self-love journey, ‘Now I embrace my scars’
“I received cruel messages like, ‘If I were you, I’d rather be dead.’ My health was a taboo topic. When I got my NJ tube, I realized hiding my illness was impossible.”
‘All my life, I heard, ‘Breast milk is the only way to go.’ I felt like a failure. What was wrong with my body?’: New mom shares breastfeeding journey, donates breast milk, ‘I am beyond grateful’
“I had no idea where to start, where to go, or who to ask for help. I didn’t know anyone who was pumping, let alone donating breast milk.”
‘My doctor said, ‘You’re just a tired mom.’ I was too weak to move from the couch. Breathing became a challenge. I knew he was wrong.’: Mom navigates life with chronic illnesses, ‘Be kind to yourself’
“I pushed my health to the back burner. Finally, I had to take a step back. ‘How can I care for those I love when I’m not caring for myself? I knew my doctor was wrong.”
‘I was so bloated people asked, ‘How far along are you?’ If only they knew I was slowly dying on the inside, never able to have another child.’: Chronic illness warrior shares journey, ‘I am FIERCE’
“My large intestine quit on me out of the blue. I fought through the pain until I was no longer able to hide it. If felt like my world was slowly caving in.”
‘The judge skimmed my letter. In less than 5 minutes, we were ushered out of the courtroom. I felt powerless.’: Foster mom advocates for child welfare, ‘They need people to fight for them’
“My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel. I was fighting back tears. My 6-year-old foster child sat in the backseat, oblivious. The system was failing him and no one cared.”
‘As I laid eyes on her for the first time, they quickly pointed out everything ‘wrong’ with her.’: Mom ‘blindsided’ by daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis, ‘I’m no longer afraid’
“Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, the way her tongue rested gently on her bottom lip, and her tiny pinky with the slightest curve. I was in shock.”
‘Everyone thinks you’re free once you leave an abusive relationship. It’s not true.’: Woman shares self-love journey after abuse, ‘I’m stronger than I thought’
“You have to stay strong, every day.”
‘What’s so special about this photo?’ It’s just an egg on top of toast, you may wonder. But to me, this is the best photo in the world.’: Mom celebrates parenting win after sons’ act of kindness, ‘I’m raising boys not defined by gender stereotypes’
“I often wonder if we are doing this whole parenting thing right. Then, Saturday morning happened. I am raising sons to be men who are not defined by traditional gender stereotypes.”
‘There’s NO WAY insurance will cover this. Order a self-test kit off Amazon.’ I BEGGED the doctor to refer me.’: Endometriosis warrior details chronic illness journey, ‘I know my body best’
“I left her office crying, but this time tears of joy. Someone FINALLY believed me. Someone finally was going to help me figure it all out. Someone was going to help me feel better.”
‘Are you a mom?’ she abruptly asked. I wasn’t prepared for this question. Yes, I get too attached. Yes, I cry when they leave.’: Woman fosters 8 kids, ‘They will always be my babies’
“A 3-year-old girl pushed right past me like she owned the place. ‘I’m going to call you mom.’ The length of time doesn’t matter. Their pictures still hang in my house, their laughter and cries echoing in each room. They will always be my babies.”
‘Bleach can cure anything, Katie. Don’t you want to cure your son?’ What I thought was a ‘moms tea party’ turned into a dark autism bleach cult.’: Mom stresses ‘beauty of autism’ after cult discovery
“I was ready to gain mom friends who also had children with autism. Little did I know as I walked into this beautiful suburban home at 9 a.m., my entire world would change. I remember hearing, ‘What do you have to lose?’ I sat frozen with tea in one hand, my mind racing into panic mode. Something was not right about this tea party.”
‘My screams woke up the entire sorority house. ‘My dad died 7 months ago. She can’t die too!’ At that point, the rest of my life began.’: Young woman shares grief journey, ‘My parents would be proud of me’
“I saw missed calls and a voicemail from my aunt. ‘You need to get home now. Be strong.’ I called my mom, but she didn’t answer. That’s when I got scared.”
‘She’s just my stepmom.’ I wasn’t on the daycare list. To this day, I’m left off emails because I’m not a ‘primary’ parent.’: Woman navigates blended family life, ‘I’m more than JUST a stepmom’
“I may not be the primary parent but I do pick-ups, drop-offs, school plays, birthday parties. I go to her sporting events. I do homework. I get her hair cut and her nails done. My resume is impeccable.”
‘He screamed, ‘You’ll NEVER be clean!’ One day you’re in high school swooning over a senior and 15 years later you’re being arrested.’: Young woman shares journey to recovery, ‘It’s SO worth it’
“I overdosed on a drug cocktail a 350-pound linebacker shouldn’t have survived.”
‘We watched his hair fall out all over his hospital pillow. We watched as he screamed in pain. Each time, he showed his strength.’: 5-year-old cancer warrior goes into remission, ‘This is a new beginning’
“January 30, 2021, our warrior rang his bell after 1045 days of fighting cancer. Surrounded by family and friends, some old and some new, we watched as Milo enjoyed HIS day.”
‘Their disabilities seemed SO different, how do I bridge the gap?’ I matched with Ryan. He was friends with EVERYONE.’: Woman advocates for those with Down syndrome, ‘We all want to be valued’
“There wasn’t a person Ryan wasn’t friends with, or Ryan wouldn’t be friends with in the near future. He’s more similar to me than different.”
‘You have 2 cervixes and 2 uteruses.’ People couldn’t be ‘bothered’ with my bad days. ‘You’re either in, or out.’: Woman learns to advocate for herself after Endometriosis, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnoses
“Living everyday in an unknown, unpredictable state affects you more than people realize.”
‘Is this actually happening?’ We watched our beloved home go up in flames as we stood in disbelief. All our possessions were gone.’: Mom details losing home to fire, ‘We’re looking for silver linings through the grief’
“While attempting to get my daughter Paige back to sleep, my 4-year-old, Mackenzie, woke. ‘Great,’ I thought, ‘This is going to be a long day.’ Little did I know, just 5 minutes later I’d be scooping these tiny humans up in my arms and rushing out the front door while thick, black smoke engulfed us.”
‘When it comes to the size of our family, we’re always laughed at. What they don’t know is we love our chaos!’: Mom of 6 shares journey as blended family, ‘We were made for this’
“When you see that positive pregnancy test, you start to wonder how you’re going to create more room in your heart for another. But just like the others, the new babe fits right in. Somehow, your heart just grows even bigger.”
‘We have 3 kids who were taken away from their mother.’ We went from zero to 3, INSTANTLY. I can’t believe we said yes.’: LGBTQ couple fosters 3 siblings, ‘Loving them is easy’
“‘You’re the ONLY home in the county who can take all 3.’ No pressure, right? After a few volleys, we told each other these kids don’t have anyone else.”
‘I was bursting with joy. Every cell in my body had been waiting for this moment. I was on top of the world!’: Woman with cerebral palsy celebrates high school graduation, ‘I am more than my disability’
“One of my teachers said, ‘How can we be sure it’s Astrid who does her homework?’ It felt like I’d been stabbed in the stomach. Of course I had done my homework myself. I was living in a society filled with prejudices.”
‘We were different than anything our small town had seen. ‘It’s a burden on you.’ They didn’t see the love we had for each other.’: Interabled couple share beautiful love story, ‘We were made for each other’
“I wasn’t oblivious to the fact Sam was in a wheelchair, but he had the most beautiful blue eyes and the biggest smile I’d ever seen. Those were the things that really stood out to me.”
‘There’s a woman who posts beautiful things, and the one I come home to, who ISN’T okay.’ He accused me of being a fraud.’: Mom diagnosed with Lupus, multiple chronic illnesses, ‘We’re worthy of living our best lives’
“I was a mother who was too exhausted to mother, a creative who could not create, and a woman on fire to serve, but unable.”