“Oliver was on vacation with his dad when I got the call. ‘He stopped walking.’ Weeks pass. His lymph nodes are swollen. Something just wasn’t right. I remember telling my boss, ‘I have to leave!’ Before I could even get a response, I was gone. I’m worried the ER doctor missed something. The doctor is quiet. I can see in her eyes she is trying to stay calm for me, but something is there. I scream. Deep down, she knows something I don’t.”
‘I don’t want this life. I’m not cut out for this!’ I heard ‘I’m sorry’ on the other end. Adrenaline began, my face got hot. Then the tears started to roll.’: Boy with down syndrome diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
‘I regret so much. Not following my mommy instinct. I’m sorry. I did my 40-minute walk on the treadmill, hoping that would wake you up.’: Mother writes letter to baby born sleeping, ‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.’
“The first words out of my mouth as my body flooded with oxytocin were, ‘You are so cute.’ You were perfect, big lips, small button nose, the cutest most perfect feet I have ever seen. I said out loud to your dad multiple times that you just were so quiet in there, and I hoped you were okay. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. Looking at you, finally, was the most magical moment.”
‘My daughter took her final breath. I felt a sudden surge of energy rush into my body. I carried her downstairs to the gurney.’: Grieving father recalls ‘hardest thing’ he’s ever done, ‘Sophia needed her Daddy one last time’
“When the funeral coordinator arrived, I gently picked Sophia up one last time. I carried her down the stairs to the gurney waiting for her. I made sure she was carefully secure as she was loaded into the van to the funeral home. I was lucky to be her daddy. I still have not grieved from watching my beautiful sweet girl die. I write her name in the shower on the glass with a big heart every day. It’s my way of remembering her.”
‘Who is this woman? How does she know me so well?’ She smiled. ‘I am here to help you, Tracy.’ Her deep gaze held nothing but love.’: Widow shares life-changing experience after husband’s death, ‘I am convinced I saw an angel that day’
“I walked in. A strange feeling came over me. This woman glowed. I was taken aback at first, but when she smiled, her eyes penetrated mine. It was like she could see into me. I had forgotten I was on a massage table. ‘I don’t know how I can thank you enough for what you just did for me. It was miraculous.’ As I walked out, I forgot to grab my purse. She was gone. What? I went room to room looking for her and never found her. I couldn’t shake this feeling. I wanted to properly thank her. No one knew who I was talking about.”
‘You ruined it all.’ I looked in my husband’s killer’s eyes. I let go of my intense anger. He took my husband, but he will not take me.’: Wife confronts husband’s killer in court, ‘I vow to NEVER EVER let him control me’
“I chose my son’s life over avenging my husband’s death. But I had one stipulation — I wanted to address him at the sentencing. I was nauseous yet confident. I’d written my speech as a story that started from the beginning. Our love wasn’t typical, our marriage unique, and my husband was truly better than most. My hands shook as I walked forward, my voice cracked as I spoke, but I made it through. By the time I finished, the packed courtroom was in tears. I dreaded the day he would be free.”
‘Can’t you just cut him out?’ It hit me. I have to give birth to my dead son. He was so beautiful.’: Mom ‘didn’t get a conclusive reason’ for child’s death, ‘the autopsy showed a perfectly healthy, fully formed baby boy’
“He had big hands and feet, chubby little cheeks, a perfect button nose, bright red lips and a little dimple chin. My fiancé burst into tears. ‘I’m absolutely heartbroken.’ We both were. The last words I said to our beautiful boy were, ‘You are absolutely perfect, our darling boy. We are so lucky to be your mommy and daddy. We love you so much.’ We didn’t get a conclusive reason for Ari’s death. The autopsy showed a perfectly healthy baby boy.”
‘She pointed to the TV to distract us. We looked back, and she was gone.’ That was the moment I became an adult orphan.’: Woman earns college degree in honor of late mother, jumpstarts grief support groups
“At 9:00 a.m. my sister called with the news. I was at work, in the midst of a project. We hung up and I don’t even remember breathing. ‘I have to leave for a week,’ I told my supervisor. As my sister was driving, the sun was warm in her van. I discovered my chest wasn’t feeling heavy anymore. Inner warmth just filled me. So much was going to change.”
‘She wanted a dog so bad she couldn’t see straight. So, he got her a fake one. She loved it just like she said she would. For 48 hours.’: Widow recalls touching memory of late husband with daughter on Christmas, ‘This is what grief looks like’
“On Christmas morning, she found her hidden puppy. She loved it like she said she would. For 48 hours. My husband was not a dumb man. He knew he needed to return the $300 robo-pup after she lost interest so quickly, but was still concerned her heart would break if she noticed the canine was gone. So, he did the only thing a sane man could think of. He tore a hole in the side of the box and told her he ran away. He would do anything our sweet daughter wanted him to do. Until he couldn’t any longer.”
‘I have to tell you something. Your baby doesn’t have a skull.’ She squeezed my hand. Tears welled up in my eyes. I waited.’: Mom loses child to anencephaly diagnosis, ‘He was born smiling, so peaceful’
“I finally gave in and made the call. I cut the doctor off. ‘My water just broke.’ Right there in the middle of my kitchen. His tone quickly changed. ‘Get to the hospital ASAP.’ We were snowed in, at the worst possible time. The woman at the desk asked me, ‘Are you pregnant?’ I wasn’t sure how to reply. Do I explain, ‘Yes, I am in labor with my dying son,’ or just let it alone? They wheeled me into the operating room. ‘Oh you just had a baby! Congratulations!’ Those words stung very deep.”
‘Sweetie, do you have someone you can call?’ I ask, ‘Is he going to die? OMG, I have to tell my boys.’: After losing husband to sudden stroke, widow finds love again, ‘When we first hugged, he was like home to me’
“I was DONE dating after I found out a guy I was talking to was married. ‘There’s this lawyer I see in court. Every time I see him, I think I should introduce you two,’ my cousin told me. Before I could say how crazy she was, she introduced us online. I knew immediately he was different and special. As his arms wrapped around my waist, I knew these were the arms I would be in for the rest of my life.”
