“I saw missed calls and a voicemail from my aunt. ‘You need to get home now. Be strong.’ I called my mom, but she didn’t answer. That’s when I got scared.”

‘My screams woke up the entire sorority house. ‘My dad died 7 months ago. She can’t die too!’ At that point, the rest of my life began.’: Young woman shares grief journey, ‘My parents would be proud of me’

‘She took her last breath. Over 400 people showed at her funeral, even on the busiest day of the week. That is the legacy she had.’: Woman pens sweet tribute to mother, ‘we will never stop hoping to see you again’
“After losing my mom, I once again feel like that lost little girl in the department store, like the whole world has collapsed. Only this time, no amount of screaming, crying, begging will bring her back. Not a day goes by I don’t recall her. A taste, a smell, a word, a touch. When all else fails, I turn to the memories. But I literally cannot cry, cannot shed a single tear, without also smiling. THAT is the kind of love she left behind.”

‘BABE. Something’s wrong with the baby!’ He flew down the stairs without touching a step. I just screamed, and screamed some more.’: Mom loses daughter to SIDS, urges us to ‘live each day like it’s our last’
“Jaymie was still and floppy. I grabbed her and started touching her face, opening her mouth, looking for any sign of what was wrong with my little girl! I remember opening my balcony doors, seeing the air ambulance, and screaming again. The police entered my home and I curled into a ball on the kitchen floor as they announced the time of death. What the hell was I hearing? I wrapped her in her Peppa Pig blanket and just stared, hoping and praying she’d just look up and smile at me. But no. She was gone.”

‘My mom was standing beyond the door, a distraught look on her face. I could tell something horrible happened. ‘I’m sorry to tell you this.’ The initial shock was like a punch to the gut.’
“I was sure it was one of my cat’s that had been killed, but it was far worse than I ever could’ve imagined. I fell to the floor, shaking. ‘How could this be?,’ I screamed. It was cold-blooded murder.”

‘Your sister’s been in an accident.’ He broke the news. ‘Where are the kids?!’ CPS had no idea they ever existed.’: Woman adopts long-lost nieces and nephews, ‘Our hearts are so full’
“I called my husband, worried what he would say. I wanted my nieces and nephews. He responded, ‘Let’s go get our kids.’ We had no idea what we were getting into. We had never even met the children, and we didn’t have a plan. One by one, they entered the room. I sat there quietly, although inside I was screaming, ‘I am your aunt!’”

‘I had one job: protect my children. The next day he was gone and there was no way to get him back. I felt myself slipping away from reality.’
“On my son’s birthday, I laid on the floor, belly-down, with my hands on my chest to force myself not to hyperventilate. Minutes later, I rejoined the party with a smile on my face. ‘I am fine,’ I told myself.”

‘It’s Mom, she’s gone.’: For the motherless on Mother’s Day
“I was sitting in my car in the parking garage, getting ready to leave work.”