“Those unkind souls didn’t know I’d grab a pair of baby shoes and cry because my son couldn’t wear them. No idea I’d put away so many pants and shorts because his little leg wouldn’t fit. But despite the unexpected, when they placed him in my arms, I couldn’t have loved him more. He was mine. My baby. My special prince. He was taking his own slow steps in life, his own way.”
‘He was born that way ’cause of his mother. It’s gotta be her genes, something is wrong with her.’ Rumors flooded about our little one.’: Mom to son with limb differences urges for kindness, ‘We are all beautiful humans’
‘Here he comes,’ my OB said. The entire room fell into an ear-piercing silence. ‘Are you aware your son has abnormalities?’: Young mom celebrates ‘one in a million’ son born with limb differences
“I couldn’t find my voice. My brain was still processing. She placed him on my chest. He was so warm, so beautiful. As I took him in, the film ‘Wonde’r I’d watched during pregnancy flashed. I’d turned to my best friend and said, ‘I could never be ashamed of my child if they were born special. That’s all the more reason to treasure them.’ Gratitude filled my heart. I was chosen for this.”
‘They put Mia on my stomach. We saw her hand and foot were different before they took her away. It was the longest hour in my life.’: Mom to daughter with congenital limb difference vows ‘I wouldn’t have her any other way’
“Operations and prosthetics included, our daughter has been a dream since birth.”
‘In ONE week, I’ve heard: ‘What’s wrong with her?’ ‘That’s so sad she has no arm.’ ‘She’s scary, I don’t like her.’: Special needs mom shares important reminder to teach inclusivity
“As you buy the backpack, and the crayons, and do all the school preparation things, please do the most important thing.”
‘As my daughter studied Cinderella, I wondered why there were still no princesses who looked like I did.’: Limb difference advocate embraces unique beauty cosplaying princesses
“I imagined Cinderella trading out her glass slippers for a glass arm. What a sight she would have been at the ball, turning something that others saw as a negative feature into a beautiful work of art.”
‘She was BORN like that!’ My superpowers were activated by his words. He freed me from questioning myself.’: Mom with limb difference urges ‘you’ll help others just by being you’
“‘She has 1 hand and a nub, sometimes wears a robot hand and is a superhero!’”
‘Do you know what you’re getting into?’ We went from empty nesters to a family of 5 in less than a year.’: Couple gush ‘my kids are the best thing about life’ after international adoption journey
“Sometimes we’re asked if they’re ‘real brothers.’ We say, ‘They are REAL brothers in all the ways that matter.’”
‘We can’t see any arms.’ I was chasing shadows and clinging to hope there was a mistake.’: Mom gives birth to son with TAR Syndrome, ‘No arms? No problem!’
“Why does EVERYTHING have sleeves? The feeling of being inadequate hit me like a freight train. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. ‘How are we supposed to raise a child with no arms?’”
‘This moment will stick with me forever. She became REAL to me.’: Father to daughter born with limb difference creates fictional world ‘aiming to accurately represent disability’
“I wanted to fulfill the promise I made to my daughter. I wanted HER to be the hero.”
‘But you don’t LOOK disabled.’: Woman urges ‘disability is not a bad word’
“A patient fought through pain to avoid people looking at her for using the equipment she actually NEEDS.”
