“Don’t just be kind, be inclusive. Be friends.”
‘My daughter was born different, but her. life. is. not. sad.’: Special needs mom urges ‘normalize disabilities’
‘We noticed some things about her hand and foot.’ Mom found doctor after doctor, even when they couldn’t do anything for me.’: Woman advocates for limb differences, ‘I tried until I got it right’
“A girl saw my hand and screamed like I was a monster. I cried every single day. My father held me after my surgeries when I was sick from anesthesia. He always showed he believed in me and I could do anything.”
‘His arms and legs, are they there?’ I couldn’t look at his picture.’: Mom says son with limb differences is ‘exactly who he is supposed to be’
“Friends would talk about how cute he was going to be. It was painful to hear family talk about his height or what sports he’d play. I knew there was a possibility we weren’t going to experience it.”
‘All humans have 10 fingers.’ Everyone turned to stare at me. ‘Well I guess not EVERYONE.’: Teenager raises awareness about limb differences, ‘Difference is beautiful’
“No one I knew looked like me. I remember searching up different variations of ‘three-fingered hand’ to see if I could find someone else out there. It never worked.”
‘The ultrasound tech got quiet. He dug into my stomach. ‘We can’t find her limb. Termination is always an option.’: Special needs mom says daughter has ‘changed my life for the better’
“We were newlyweds. I took a pregnancy test, honestly not expecting it to say PREGNANT. I felt a rush of emotions. ‘What are people going to think?’ The morning after the ultrasound, the nurse said, ‘Her esophagus isn’t connected to her stomach.’ She went in for surgery at 4 days old. ‘We found something else.’ How could the doctors have missed this? ‘We need to cut both sides of her chest.'”
‘What’s wrong with her?’ Comments now change to, ‘How cute, her doll looks just like her!’: Woman creates special needs dolls, ‘Our differences make us beautiful’
“Adults will say, ‘Having a doll that looked like me could have been a game-changer,’ or ‘I struggled my whole life with how I looked.’ Those little faces light up when they realize the doll they are holding is THEM!”
‘I was 19, pregnant. ‘Your baby is missing arms and legs. I’m only seeing 2 toes and a partial foot.’ I thought it was some cruel joke.’: Teen mom births baby with phocomelia, ‘He beat all the odds’
“Evan was whisked away immediately after birth. My stepmother grabbed my mother and left the room. Both were visibly shaken. I overheard them in the hall: ‘You’ve got to get it together. They need us now more than ever!’ The doctor entered. ‘Ms. Sanchez, there is a problem. Your son’s spine is severely twisted and growing out of the side of his back. If this continues, it will pull his ribcage into his heart and kill him.’ I was devastated.”
‘I love you, and I promise I will be back.’ My son looked up in terror as they carried me out. I came to the horrifying realization I made a bold promise.’: Woman survives Ewing’s Sarcoma, leg amputation, ‘Life is too short to not do what makes you happy’
“I was crying and screaming as they carried me out. ‘You’re exaggerating and pain pill seeking.’ I only had a week to get my affairs in order. I made sure my son would remember me.”
‘You’re not special enough to be my girlfriend.’ I cried. He was embarrassed by my prosthetics.’: Amputee learns to own her uniqueness, ‘My life isn’t normal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way’
“The technician noticed something wrong with my legs. They were shaped like a boomerang. I only had 3 toes on each foot. My feet were turned inwards and pointed down, and my ankles couldn’t rotate. The doctors gave my parents a choice: ‘Amputate her legs or never let her walk.’ When I got pregnant, I wasn’t physically prepared for what was to come. I had no idea how it would affect my body, let alone my prosthetics. I was terrified.”
‘It appears your baby did not develop a left forearm or hand.’ My whole body was shaking. It was surreal.’: Mom celebrates child born with limb difference, ‘In our eyes, he was perfect’
“Our brief phone call couldn’t have been longer than 5 minutes, yet it changed everything we knew or expected for our future. I had been hoping that they were wrong. Terrified of the unknown, I put off buying anything for our baby. I smiled throughout my baby shower I didn’t even want to attend.”
