“Thoughts of a nice smooth pregnancy went out the window. My biggest fears were coming to life.”
‘The doctor walked in and said, ‘It’s time to take him.’ A rush of fear came over me. We were supposed to have another week.’: Heart warrior ‘defies the odds one day at a time’
‘We have your husband.’ A pit formed in my stomach. Looking back, my heart hadn’t really begun to break yet.’: Widow shares ‘the pits and peaks of grief’ after losing husband
“The nurse drew the curtain back and I crumbled. His big feet stuck out from the sheets. I bent and kissed his head three times as we did every time we left each other.”
‘I yelled, ‘Someone tell me what is wrong!’ Tears streamed down my face. I knew something was different about this pregnancy, and it was NOT just the pandemic.’: Teen mom turned special needs mom shares journey with Down syndrome
“I was 16 and pregnant. A statistic, as most saw it. ‘I cannot do this, I’m not cut out for this.’ I remember thinking our life was over, but little did we know, it was just starting.”
‘They told me, ‘It’s nothing to worry about. Every baby does this.’ She was turning BLUE. I knew this wasn’t normal.’: New mom births baby with congenital heart defect, ‘She makes me proud every day’
“I broke down crying, ‘Promise me she’s going to be okay.’ I didn’t think I’d be coming home with my daughter. I couldn’t understand how my 2-year-old was on life support. How I could breathe and she couldn’t?”
‘We found cysts on her brain.’ I felt her strength, her love. I did everything possible to give her a chance.’: Mom births miracle baby with Edward’s Syndrome, ‘She’s a warrior’
“I started bleeding and my only thought was, ‘I’m losing my baby.’ But there was a heartbeat. And it was a strong one. She wanted to live.”
‘Can you take in 3 siblings? They’ve been in foster care 15 months and need parents.’ We cried tears of joy.’: Couple adopt 4 siblings from foster care, ‘They are our heroes’
“Sitting in traffic, my phone began to ring. My husband said very frankly, ‘Yes…Of course…When do you need us to come?’ He whispered, ‘Another sibling was born yesterday. They want him to join our family.’ He didn’t even have a name. I immediately began to cry and shook my head yes.”
‘The officer said, ‘There’s been an incident at the pool.’ I expected stitches. ‘I’m going to get right to the point, Jason died tonight.’: Woman diagnosed with cancer after husband’s death, ‘I’m choosing to LIVE’
“We sat in a circle on a bedroom floor. ‘Last night daddy went swimming. His body died. He won’t come home ever again.’ One week after the funeral, I received a call: ‘You have cancer, and not the run-of-the-mill kind. It travels distantly and doesn’t always respond to treatments.’ The rubble of my life had just caught fire.”
‘Is it the right decision?’ They came to take her. I stood, paralyzed, and watched as she disappeared. There was debilitating fear.’: Girl with Down syndrome survives new heart surgery, ‘She’s one of the first to have it’
“I kept taking her picture, scared it could be the last one. I counted every eyelash, perfectly placed on her eyes. She would be the first on the West Coast to have this surgery. I didn’t want to let her go because then the decision would be final.”
‘His intestines were twisted. ‘He likely won’t survive.’ He quickly added, ‘But miracles do happen.’: Miracle baby with Kabuki Syndrome defies 10% survival rate, ‘This is only the beginning’
“The medical team sat down with us, ‘We’re worried.’ They prepared us for the worst. We continued to watch Oliver gain fluid and wondered what would be.”
‘You can choose comfort care or surgery.’ I wanted to scream. I didn’t know what quality of life he’d have.’: Mom loses baby with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, ‘He only knew love’
“’This defect is so rare, you’ll probably never see it in your lifetime.’ I felt like I was in a dream. I pinched myself a few times. What snapped me back to reality was the doctor saying, ‘I can do these surgeries, but his chance of survival is slim.’ I wanted the nightmare to end.”
