“I had an ex who held me from behind and said, ‘You look so thin!’ Like it was an amazing compliment. This guy was not a fitness fanatic. He never worked out, was extremely unhealthy, and triple my size.”
‘I dated a guy who said, ‘You look so good when you lose weight. Otherwise, I feel like cheating.’: Woman urges us to love our bodies. ‘Kick him to the curb and embrace your curves’
‘Should we intubate her?’ She went into anaphylactic shock. As she got better, COVID reared its ugly head.’: Husband celebrates nurse wife, ‘She doesn’t wear a cape, but she wears scrubs’
“Coming into contact with anyone who had a common cold would have killed her. She is not 100% healed, yet day in and day out, she is taking care of COVID positive patients. It’s her calling. Although she does not wear a cape, she wears scrubs.”
‘When he is older, how do I explain this?’ We handed over a tiny 3-month-old for his first open-heart surgery.’: Mom of heart warrior thanks those who helped, ‘He lived, and so much of that is due to all of you’
“He shows his scar to everyone. Sometimes he will say, ‘I saved Mommy from a great white shark, look, guys!’ Other times, he just tells people, ‘I had heart surgery!’ The first question immediately is always, ‘Did it hurt, Finn!?’ He just sweetly replies no and then wants to play. He lived. We all did.”
‘Today, reality hit me straight in the face. It hit me by a 6-year-old holding a box of Ziplocs.’: Teacher receives special gift from student, re-examines idea of ‘success’
“Want me to be honest? Today was rough. I don’t cry and I cried 5 times today. I was ready to crawl in a daggum hole.”
‘Only 6 months after our divorce was final, my ex-husband ended his lifelong battle with mental illness.’: Woman’s journey to discover her ‘self-worth’ after ex’s suicide
“I kissed, hugged and squeezed him, laughing and crying, in shock. The crazy thing about it is that even though our marriage was always hard – he was abusive and constantly tormented by his own mind – I loved him. I still do.”
‘He opened his beautiful, dark grey eyes, wise beyond his years. We made him comfortable, and waited.’: Mom vows ‘as long as I live, Daniel’s memory will too’ after losing son to congenital heart defect
“At the end of this long, exhausting appointment, Charity says, ‘Oh, and congratulations on your baby.’ Congratulations on our baby? You mean the one you told me is going to die? I ran out of that room so fast. Despite it all, his broken heart kept beating. I recall a single tear escaping my eye and falling on his face.”
‘My mom still waves goodbye to me. She stands out on her driveway and waves.’: Daughter ‘thinks of her mom’ when grieving how fast her own child are growing up
“She still cares about me like she did when I was a kid. She can’t help herself. As I’ve gotten older, my mom still does the same motherly things she’s always done, now for me and my babies. I love how precious she is to me.”
‘I have a huge favor to ask. I’m in the ER. I can’t leave my daughter alone, but I really need a coffee.’ I was blown away.’: Single mom touched by act of kindness during daughter’s open heart surgery
“My baby needed a heart transplant. I’ll never forget the compassion I was showed at my most vulnerable.”
‘A little boy saw you and yelled, ‘You’re brown, you’re not supposed to be brown!’ My heart dropped to the floor. You had the most innocent look on your face.’
“The boy’s mom quickly said, ‘He is brown, but he’s beautiful.’ The little boy yelled again, ‘No, he’s not. He’s NOT beautiful, because he’s brown!’ In the moment, I couldn’t even open my mouth.”
‘I was SO nervous the morning of the surprise. I felt like I was back in high school, about to give a dreadful speech. I watched my recycling driver cry tears of joy. The burden was instantly lifted.’
“I thought that would be it. I was wrong. What is a mundane task to many is a big deal around here.”
