Touching
🤧
‘All of the sudden, I heard a gunshot and fell to the ground. ‘I can’t feel my legs.’ I lifted my shirt to see a hole in my chest.’: Paraplegic advocates for accessibility, ‘It’s made me who I am’
“It was back to square one. I had to learn to sit up, roll over in bed, get dressed. The one single aggravating moment I remember well was trying to put on my socks, which felt like an impossible feat. It literally took over an hour. It was never easy.”
‘We’re going to miss you. Will you visit us one day?’ It was time to take them home to their parents, for good. As I drove away, the tears came flooding.’: Single foster dad shares emotional reunification journey
“You love them through the nightmares and trauma. You hold them when their parents don’t show up. You love them so dearly, because holding back would be so much less than they deserve. When I return the child I’ve nurtured as my own, I must trust their parents will be the best they can be. If not, I will always be there waiting, with open arms and an open heart.”
‘I was called a ‘big-nosed Jew.’ I NEEDED to fit in. When I got my diagnosis, I was in denial. My disability was the first thing people saw.’: Woman with muscular dystrophy finds self-acceptance, ‘I’m unapologetically me’
“I changed my name and perfected my accent. No one knew about my past. I exercised, dieted, tanned, toned, concealed, and accentuated—all for attention. Then I noticed muscle weakness. At that moment, I knew.”
‘She has a 2% chance of survival.’ My whole life became this beautiful little girl. Then I realized we had more in common than I thought.’: Man with autism turns to running to show daughter ‘Daddy can do it’
“Doctors thought she was blind, but I knew she was autistic. I needed to show her autism could be a gift. Running was the answer to how I was feeling. I downloaded an app, gathered equipment, and our adventure began.”
‘Mom, I want to join cross country!’ She looked confused. If your child had a life-threatening disease, you’d hesitate too.’: Runner with cystic fibrosis follows dream, ‘Giving up wasn’t an option’
“Who’d believe a little girl like me with such an evil disease would be SO GOOD. My mom called my dad and said, ‘Your daughter is winning, and not just by a little!’”
‘You have an 80% chance of getting breast cancer.’ I’d worked so hard to feel confident in my own skin. Would surgery change that?’: BRCA1 carrier details self-love journey, ‘You’re stronger than you know’
“I spent most of my life at war with my body. I heard one of the girls utter the word, ‘Pig.’ Me. They thought I looked like a pig. I looked in the mirror and realized I didn’t look like them. I was different.”
‘When he needs me, he can reach out that cute little hand and mine will be right there, ready for him. Steady for him.’: Special needs mom shares ode to brave son with extra chromosome, ‘I hold his hands, but he holds my heart’
“Every step he takes is a mountain climbed, every word he signs or says is a dream realized, every milestone met, a prayer answered. He is the bravest person I know.”
‘He’s a HORRIBLE little boy.’ My heart broke into pieces.’: Mom details parenting two children with ADHD, ‘The tears and tantrums were worth it’
“Parenting two teens with ADHD is a walk in the park, if it’s Jurassic Park!”
‘I used to wonder why in the world parents would legally change their child’s name. Yet here I am, absolutely delighted.’: Mom explains legal name change for daughter with Down syndrome
“You see, 8 years ago on the day she was born, we had a different name and a different daughter in mind. She is like nothing I imagined, yet everything I hoped for.”
‘He’s coming to kill me!’ My mom covered my mouth to stop the screams. What was really hurting me was the monster inside.’: Chronic illness warrior shares journey, ‘Never give up hope’
“Would you believe me if I told you a tick the size of a poppy seed destroyed my life? I’d go around my perfectly clean room shouting, ‘Dirty! It’s dirty!’ I jumped out the first story window of my house. The pain was too much.”
