“I thought my legs had been ripped from my body. It was INTENSE. I became aware of how important it is to give without expecting anything in return.”
‘I couldn’t feel my legs. My friend was lying on the ground and her eyes were wide open. I screamed.’: Woman survives car accident, finds strength in friendship, ‘We support each other’
‘I’ll call you when I get to the parking area.’ They decided to coast the truck down the mountain. They had no brakes.’: Daughter honored for organ donation, mom connects with another through ‘divine intervention’
“She called and said, ‘This might be the best day of my life!’ I pleaded with God to keep her safe.”
‘I hit a patch of black ice and lost control. ‘We can’t get her out!’ They cut my seatbelt off, but my legs were stuck.’: Woman survives car accident, traumatic brain injury, ‘I’ve come SO far’
“The car spun and hit a tree. I was unconscious upon impact. My mom was calling my name with no response. I was in a coma for a week, with a bolt in my head.”
‘I can’t go to juvie! You don’t know what they DO to people there!’ She choked out, ‘Will you be my parents?’ We were 23, newly engaged. Already a teenager, we were her only option left.’: Young couple adopt 5 children into ‘forever family’
“When I thought about my future as a quadriplegic, I didn’t think my dream of becoming a husband or dad were going to happen, much less 5 kids before marriage! God brought us these girls for a reason, and I was determined to give them all the love they needed.”
‘He’s awake!’ ‘I couldn’t move or open my mouth. The doctors only gave me a 5% chance of survival.’: Man recounts near-fatal accident, ‘Show gratitude every chance you get’
“‘He might not make it through the night.’ They told my mom she could choose to pull the plug or let me go on my own. My mom didn’t give up hope, not even for a second.”
‘As I was thinking about how wonderful life was, my head slammed into the steering wheel. My final summer was gone.’: Teen suffers brain injury, graduates college, ‘Always have hope’
“I was the girl in the neck brace. ‘Just give it time,’ they repeated. My memory betrayed me, forgetting class times, notes, names. Every day, I woke up with a headache. Doctors warned me graduating was unlikely.”
‘We saw bubbles at the surface of the pool. ‘Someone needs to get him up now!’ He was limp and grey.’: Family share shallow water drowning PSA, ‘Please let your loved ones know’
“This was a pool game we played all the time. We knew many family and friends who did the same. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”
‘There was a shooting downtown.’ I fell to the floor. I just knew it was my husband.’: Widow loses husband to accidental shooting, ‘Life is meant to still be enjoyed’
“My husband gave me a quick peck and was out the door. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong. I saw the news pop up. ‘There’s been an accident.’”
‘Mommy, I had an accident. I couldn’t make it to the toilet. I did it on the kitchen floor.’ I peeked over, half-asleep.’: Mom urges ‘give the blessing of grace and unconditional love’
“I knew within that moment two things could happen. As I sat up from my spot on the couch, she immediately took my breath away. I wanted to remember it all.”
‘Someone put in an offer on our home in the middle of this pandemic. Our mortgage couldn’t be put on hold. We scrambled to live in a 6-feet wide trailer.’: Mom recounts 2020 regrets, ‘Everything happens for a reason’
“I had just been laid off. Maybe I should have put up with the terrible job that I felt might have killed me, to take a temporary one that ended New Year’s Eve. Amidst all this I get an awful and mean message from someone with whom I thought I got along, and no reason behind it.”
