“Her openness in this moment was a ‘Hey, Family.’ It’s about recognizing your fellow human who knows how it feels to avoid glares of judgement. I had forgotten what it had felt like to be recognized like this by a stranger.”
‘FAMILY. We’re your people. You’re safe here.’: LGBTQ mom shares moment of ‘community’ on playground, ‘It gave me comfort I wasn’t alone’
‘I was in shock. My sweet little boy was never going to smile.’: Mom births son with Moebius Syndrome
“Every day, I made silly faces, weird sounds, and looked like a crazy mom, all in the hope he’d smile. Everyone told me not to worry, but my intuition was telling me something else.”
‘Mommy? I think I want to start using they/them pronouns.’ I knew the tremendous weight my response would hold.’: Mom to non-binary child urges ‘acceptance matters’
“My 5-year-old looked up at me with eyes full of hopeful expectancy. ‘But I can’t wear a dress, right?’ I looked into their eyes, spoke from my gut, and simply said, ‘Anyone can wear a dress!’”
‘We had one egg left, but couldn’t afford it. ‘I can be happy with just the four of us.’ It dawned on me… I never got my period.’: Mom battling infertility welcomes ‘miracle’ twins
“The moment the doctor turned on the ultrasound screen, there was a pause. ‘Remind me, did I give you anything to help trigger this pregnancy?’ Worried, we quickly replied, ‘No.’ She smiled even bigger and announced, ‘There are TWO babies in there!’”
‘Were my jeans too tight? Should I have NEVER used tampons? We were not in control.’: LGBTQ mom shares journey to motherhood, urges ’embrace the suck and keep perspective’
“’We’re pregnant!’ Thank the LORD the lights were off so no one could see my tears. The concept of ‘deserving to be parents’ is a privilege too many take for granted.”
‘A police officer was on the other end of the phone. ‘He didn’t have enough time to stop.’ They told me to take him off the ventilator.’: Woman becomes caretaker to husband after accident
“His body lay lifeless in the small bed. Monitors beeping, tubes coming out of every direction, ventilator helping him breathe. My husband of 7 years was in a critical condition, fighting for his life right before my eyes.”
‘I woke up with a tube down my throat. I couldn’t talk. On a piece of paper, I wrote, ‘I want my mom.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘faith can do wonders’
“Halfway through my 12-hour shift, I began to feel very sick. ‘You need to sit down.’ I had a fever and my oxygen level was low. The next few weeks were a blur.”
‘He popped my hip out with a simple tap of his finger. I believed I’d always live in pain.’: Chronic illness warrior ‘thankful’ for journey
“The doctor came in. ‘How many broken bones do you think you have?’ Then he laughed and said, ‘You’re completely fine.’ I doubted my own body, thinking my pain was all in my head.”
‘The doctor ruled it ‘a terrible, chance accident.’ We were alone as a little trio, together in this grief.’: Surrogate for LGBTQ couple experiences loss, ‘I want their dreams to come true’
“A week before their flight, the worst happened. ‘How am I going to tell them?’ I didn’t feel him moving.”
‘3 days postpartum, I looked at my husband. ‘I want to throw our son.’: Mom says ‘even through the fog of depression, I am worthy’
“I had a massive panic attack while feeding him. His latch pierced me with pain. I had nightly terrors one or both of us were left dead on the hospital table. My doctor asked, ‘How are you doing?’ I just cried.”
