“The doctor told me, ‘There is no cure. You will have this for the rest of your life.’ Then, I noticed I was 3 weeks late for my period. I’d just been diagnosed with an incurable disease and now I was pregnant all at the age of 20?! My baby’s father said, ‘I want to live the life of an average 21-year-old, just not with you in it.’ My life changed in the blink of an eye.”
‘On the plane ride home from my summer vacation in Mexico, my face went numb. ‘Maybe it’s just the high elevation?’ Soon, I couldn’t feel the right side of my body.’: Young single mom diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis graduates college
‘We see you put self-care on the backburner, skipping workouts and coffee with friends for an IEP meeting. You are miracle workers, moving mountains by sheer will.’: Husband pens sweet letter to special needs moms, ‘You’re the epitome of beauty’
“From moment one, we watch as you push grief aside and take the lead at the moment of diagnosis. You fistfight educational systems like a school-yard bully. You run like a prized thoroughbred, determined to secure therapies, counselors, and doctors. Even though you may not see it, to us, you’re the epitome of beauty. Thank you for what you do every day.”
‘He moved in with us. Soon, he went from the couch to the bed. We realized our marriage wasn’t complete. HE was missing.’: Triad has 8-month-old, ‘Thanks to our son, we stopped hiding’
“It wasn’t possible to sign 3 parents on the birth certificate. At the moment, polygamy is illegal. We needed to step out of the shadows and do the coming out. Thanks to him, we stopped hiding.”
‘We held our babies for the first and last time. We entered the hospital pregnant, and left without our baby.’: Woman responds to Chrissy Teigen’s viral child loss post, ‘You are not alone’
“You see those socks on Chrissy Teigen’s feet? I know those socks. It’s a terrible thing we have in common. Because even though our experiences were different, we know the same heartbreak.”
‘I asked the nanny, ‘What happened to his eye?’ I noticed it was red. Doctors assured it was ‘pink eye.’: Mom urges ‘throw them away’ after bath toy almost blinds toddler
“The redness was spreading down his neck. When he woke at 6 a.m. I screamed to my husband, ‘Get in the car!’ His eye was so swollen the white part was bulging out from between his eyelid and his iris was obscured. He felt hot to the touch. A temperature check revealed a raging fever.”
‘Walking into the house, I said to the baby, ‘We are home!’ It felt cruel. These words aren’t true. This is her home now, but it’s only temporary.’: Foster mom urges ‘I am not a superhero, they are’
“I see families torn apart, siblings separated. Children abandoned, biological parents unable to conquer addictions. People say, ‘I couldn’t foster. I’d never be able to let them go!’ It will be sad. We will grieve. In the end, I will be okay. But will they?”
‘You won’t live past 15 years old.’ I never stopped believing in myself.’: Man with cystic fibrosis urges ‘don’t take your time on this earth for granted’
“I’ve sat in my bed asking, ‘Why God? Why can’t I breathe like everyone else?’ I’ve wondered if I should even try to build a career, friendships, or have love in my life because I’m going to die. Then I realized I will never be able to control the cards I’ve been dealt, but I can make the decision to never stop pursuing my dreams.”
‘The cute boy in the blue shirt was leaving the bar. ‘OMG, what do I do?!’ I pushed my friend out of the booth. ‘MOVE!’ I worked up the nerve to approach him.’: Woman urges ‘you only get one life’
“There I was, standing face-to-face with the guy I had awkwardly stared at for two hours, whom I thought had a girlfriend, and clearly never even SAW me. ‘Do you want my number?’ I was sure I’d never see him again.”
‘Men are wearing ‘Save the Tatas’ and ‘Help Save Second Base’ shirts. ‘Great boobs are worth fighting for’ slogans are circulating.’: Woman pens PSA on breast cancer
“Women are FIGHTING for their lives, not their boobs.”
‘Little boys don’t need to ‘toughen up’ or stop crying. It’s OK if they’re not OK.’: Boy mom urges ‘vulnerability is a gift’
“They need to be comforted, nurtured, and told their feelings are valid.”
