“There it was, a lump that certainly didn’t belong. It was only about the size of a pea. I kept telling myself, ‘It’s just a cyst.’ The lump continued to grow, and the pain never subsided.”
‘It’s just a clogged milk duct.’ My husband NEEDED more than a brush-off. I thought he was paranoid. There was no way I had it.’: Mom beats invasive breast cancer, ‘I’m thriving’
‘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.”
‘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.”
‘It’s back and growing rapidly.’ We had a feeling this would be our last trip together, but we prayed it wasn’t so. NOTHING brought him relief of any kind.’: Widow recounts loss of husband, healing through nonprofit missionary work, ‘There is PURPOSE in the pain’
“The photo on this post is of my late husband and me. It was our last trip to Africa together. He looks a bit tired and haggard in the photo because, well, unknown to us when we set out on the trip, his cancer was back with a vengeance.”
‘Mama, I don’t want you to be sick.’ It stabbed me in the heart. ‘It’s going to be fixed.’ It was blow after blow.’: Woman battles breast cancer, ‘Tomorrow isn’t promised’
“I get emotional watching mothers with their kids on their wedding days, wondering if I’ll ever get the chance.”
‘I took comfort in the fact my ugly, clunky ‘frankenboobs’ wouldn’t be with me forever. But, y’all, I am SCARED.’: Cancer fighter prepares for reconstruction surgery, ‘I am MORE than this body’
“I have to face the reality this is the end of the journey. Whatever I wake up to, or whatever I wake up with—that will be my new body. There is no next phase, there is no going back.”
‘You can’t be pregnant…can you?’ I was an 18-year-old with an IUD in cancer remission. My chances after chemo were next to zero. ‘Of course not mom,’ I laughed.’: Teen mom births 1-pound miracle preemie after cancer, preeclampsia battle
“Next thing I know, I’m in the doctor’s office with a positive pregnancy test and a little 10-weeks fetus flickering on the screen. I went to the gynecologist to find my IUD dangling from my cervix. In my heart, I knew this was something special.”
‘Home please. Home PLEASE!’ He looked like a living skeleton. Fear made time stop.’: Young boy beats liver cancer, ‘We have a new outlook on life’
“‘You can’t eat baby, it’ll hurt you.’ We agreed he could hold them. He took a cookie out and breathed in. ‘Mmmmmm.’ Then he put the cookie back in its bag. It broke my heart.”
‘If I make her breakfast at 3 a.m. and wash her hair, maybe I can save her!’ I won’t tell her yet.’: Daughter takes care of mom before she passes, ‘I never gave up on you’
“‘Why me?’ she’d ask. But I was 22 and very much alive, how could I know? ‘We aren’t done fighting.’”
‘I just got followed on Instagram by my high school sweetheart.’ I always thought if we were meant to be, we’d come back to each other.’: Widow reconnects with first love, ‘Love found a way to win’
“He told me he loved me and always would. I told him goodbye and to never call me again. He knew better. In my heart, so did I. In just those few moments it felt, yet again, like our connection hadn’t changed at all, even though it had been 12 years. One night out of the blue, around 3:00 p.m. I called him and said, ‘Dinner tonight? I’m ready.’ ‘I’ll see you at 8,’ he said without hesitation.”
