“A stranded boat would be spotted, only to find it wasn’t them. ‘Can you identify this hat? This flip flop? This fishing rod?’ It was mentally and emotionally exhausting.”
‘Something bad happened to Daddy on the boat. He’s not coming home.’ I watched their childhood innocence get stripped away.’: Widow loses husband in tragic accident
‘A crowbar came through the windshield and struck him in the head.’ When he died, a bit of me died too.’: Grieving daughter turns to cooking therapy
“I was hungry to keep his legacy alive, starving for people to recognize my loss. The casseroles stop coming before the grieving has even begun.”
‘I found the strength to tell our 5-year-old, ‘Daddy’s never coming home.’: Widow finds love with late husband’s namesake, ‘It was meant to be this way’
“’Is it weird I share the same name as your late husband?’ I told him, ‘Yes, it is.’ He said, ‘You can call me by my middle name, Andrew.’ I turned white as a ghost.”
‘He’s gone, Lex, he’s gone,’ my poor mom repeated between her sobs. I knew I’d never see my dad’s face again.’: Woman loses father in tragic accident, ‘The grief is always with you’
“I found two police officers parked in front of my house. They wouldn’t tell me what was going on. ‘You’ll find out soon.’ I fell to the ground in shock. I couldn’t believe I was ‘the girl whose dad died.’”
‘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 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’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.”
