“I was a caged bird in my small town with my religious mother, and now I was free, discovering my full potential. I realized Christianity and sexuality do not need to fight each other. They can live peacefully.”
‘I cried and begged God, ‘Take this away from me, or take my life. I don’t want it.’ I knew my mom would never accept me.’: Queer woman urges ‘sexuality and religion can coincide’
‘I’ve lived a selfish life. I want to do something meaningful.’ It became my passion to help someone else create their family.’: Woman shares surrogacy journey
“I struggled with bleeding. ‘Do you want to continue?’ I hadn’t expected this, but it wasn’t going to deter me. I was ready to try again.”
‘I heard a child screaming. ‘Well, this will be a fun flight,’ I thought. Then, he saw the crackers in my bag. He walked up to me and said, ‘I’m hungry.’: Woman recounts moment of kindness at airport
“I remember thinking how odd it was.”
‘Just keep trying!’ My biological clock was ticking. Adoption was dead last on my list. I had NO desire to ‘share’ my child with anyone else.’: Couple pursues adoption after infertility, ‘They mended my heart’
“I viewed infertility as a problem to be solved. ‘If you choose to adopt, your child will always have two sets of parents and families. You’re just going to have to deal with it.’ So much for a spoonful of sugar with our medicine. I scribbled out ‘adoption’ as a choice.”
‘We noticed wobbling in his eyes. My denial turned to heartbreak. ‘I can’t believe I passed on my problems.’: Woman learns to embrace blindness in herself and son, ‘I can guide him through life’
“‘No kids would want a blind mom!’ My husband told me not to worry, we’d do things differently, and would solve problems as they came. I assumed being a mom and wife was unreachable. He taught me differently.”
‘One baby’s heart is fine.’ Mom asked, ‘What about the OTHER?’ My first surgery was at 3 days old. It’s as bad as it gets.’: Woman survives heart disease, transplant, ‘Each day I rise’
“The surgeries were risky, and many didn’t make it through. None guaranteed survival.”
‘A tumor had taken over my entire femur. ‘All signs are leading to cancer.’ They removed 60% of the muscle in my leg. It was torture’: Cancer survivor says, ‘I found the power to keep fighting’
“I spent 3 days wide awake because I couldn’t stop hallucinating giant, juicy spiders crawling over me. I had to sleep with my feet in ice buckets. My skin felt like it was on fire. This was all ‘normal’ in the chemo world.”
‘I can’t do it alone.’ Guilt rained down on me. My daughter clasped my hand. ‘I love you, Mommy.’ That was the moment I decided I deserved true love.’: Mom navigates life after divorce
“I found a tiny, one-bedroom apartment and we ate dinner with dollar store utensils. Our lawyers were mean. We were mean. I cried in the shower a lot. I wasn’t going back. I wasn’t going to feel guilty for showing my daughter what type of love she deserved too.”
‘There’s no way that crooked spine is mine.’ I had no idea what was wrong with my back. The pain took over my life.’: Scoliosis warrior diagnosed with chronic illnesses, ‘Listen to your body’
“My spine grew even more curved. He fused my entire spine with metal implants. I struggled to sit up. I couldn’t lift my water bottle or even my phone. Most days, I was too sick to do anything.”
‘If she wakes, she’ll never walk again.’ I began to hear subtle sounds. One morning, I tapped her hand. It felt like I’d snapped back into life.’: Woman shares journey with Meningitis, ‘I’m a walking testament of hope’
“It started with flu-like symptoms. Loss of appetite, fatigue, and body soreness. I went from feeling fine to almost immediately shut down. I lay down and never got back up. My mom sped past the waiting room, screaming, ‘Help!’ as I lay lifeless.”
