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‘I’m in a different boat. We’re terrified of losing our children. I’d never wish for any parent to be where I’ve been.’: Special needs mom begs ‘do your part, stay safe for us’
“For years, we’ve been sanitizing and wearing masks. Sitting on hospital bathroom floors, begging for our child to live. Seeing our child intubated and whispering, ‘Please be okay.’ It feels like you’re watching us sink.”
‘Can you foster a tough 3-year-old with special needs?’ She came to us nonverbal. Now she calls us ‘Mama’ and ‘Daddy.’: Foster parents pursue adoption, ‘She’s so worth it’
“My husband said, ‘Babe, it’s not going to get any easier. We’ve got to let her go home at some point.’ But God had other plans. They kept asking us to care for her longer and we said yes.”
‘Am I going to be able to do this forever?’ I wasn’t ME. I felt let down and abandoned. The anxiety was horrific.’: COVID-19 nurse encourages healthcare workers, ‘We’ll get through this’
“When I was a new nurse, I walked with a pep in my step. I had new scrubs, perfect pens, and a glow. I went from feeling calm to terrified. The pandemic rages on. The frontliners are still there, showing up, sacrificing their own safety.”
‘I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s too hard!’ I coughed up blood. I knew I couldn’t survive another.’: Woman with Cystic Fibrosis welcomes two miracle babies, ‘Every year is a gift’
“I felt this desire for another baby. Without a doubt, I knew I couldn’t give birth to him. My brother’s wife said, ‘I could have a baby for you.’ I was dumbfounded.”
‘There’s a mass behind her nose.’ Her runny nose became blood-tinged. She could barely hold her head up. I knew it was bad.’: Mom details daughter’s cancer journey, ‘Never give up hope’
“They looked up her nose. Something was there. I had a knot in my stomach before he even spoke. My mind flashed back to a Google search I had done that fit her symptoms. Cancer.”
‘Everything is going to be OK.’ The first time I saw him so small, I cried. He came nearly 3 months early.’: Mom raises awareness for National Preemie Month, ‘No one can prepare you for the NICU experience’
“Next came fierce determination. I was his mother, and I would do everything in my power to get whatever he needed to survive.”
‘I know you like to worry, but she’s just fine.’ I was labeled a ‘helicopter mom.’ I felt defeated.’: Mom fights for daughter’s autism diagnosis, ‘I never ignored my gut again’
“She started banging her head on the floor and biting her nails until they bled. They didn’t even try to evaluate her. I tried explaining, ‘Autism presents differently in girls.’ He just suggested parenting classes.”
‘You’ll miss these days!’ Please don’t remind me to love every moment when she’s being a turd and throwing things in Target.’: Mom encourages ‘have extra kindness’ amidst pandemic
“When you see my swollen stomach, dragging my limp-noodle toddler, and hear me gripe about being tired, consider it a Christmas gift to me by refusing the comment that comes to your mind. I guarantee you, I know I’m lucky.”
‘You need a closed adoption.’ My mom was adamant. Suddenly, the world turned upside down. She’d kept the secret for 35 years.’: Adoptive mom finds lost long sister, ‘It was divine intervention’
“My cousin called, ‘Can you take care of my baby?’ I felt an instant connection. Our family was complete and our adoption story had a sweet closure. Or so I thought. It all came together in that shocking moment.”
‘Please take me home.’ Watching her crumble at her birth mother’s feet almost did me in. We had to protect her.’: Couple adopts teen from foster care, ‘She deserves a safe place’
“Nothing about foster care was easy. Why wasn’t there a boot camp for this? The Navy had trained me so well for potential threats, but now I was in an actual war field and felt left for dead. I almost walked away.”
