“I grieved my diagnosis, the loss of my breasts. I cried when I shaved my head. I worried as I read the statistics. I thought I’d already had my share of adventure in life.”
‘When I figured I’d get cancer at some point, I meant after age 50. I worried the best years of my life had passed.’: Breast cancer warrior urges other survivors ‘life is still a beautiful adventure’
Marriage Is Not About Giving 50/50
“I had always thought of relationships as 50/50 propositions. You each give. And you each take. You try to make it as equal as possible. Right? WRONG.”
‘It might be neurological.’ My heart plummeted. How can I go on if my kids have this rare disease?’: Mom’s 2 sons diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, ‘We cling to hope’
“It started as a normal day. When I read about the symptoms, grief consumed me. Up until this point, I thought I had two perfectly healthy children. Then one of my boys ended up in the ICU.”
‘If life is TOO good, I tell myself something bad is bound to happen. If life is lacking, I wish for better.’: Woman shares how to combat ‘imposter syndrome’
“I had major ‘imposter syndrome.’ I was obsessed with telling myself I wasn’t good enough.”
‘I’m really sorry.’ I had 2 babies at home! I soon wondered how staying alive could feel so much like dying.’: Woman beats invasive breast cancer, ‘All we have is today’
“I thought I knew what was coming. But really, I didn’t. My mouth felt dry and tasted oily, my stomach churned, my scalp prickled and my bones ached. I hovered in a depression for weeks. My kids needed any precious energy I had.”
‘I expected him to tell me, ‘Yeah, I’ve noticed. You’ve got to do something about that anxiety.’ He didn’t though.’: Mom grateful for husband’s love when sharing insecurities
“My husband and I had a day date this past weekend. I predicted he would say something like, ‘Why don’t you try to get a better routine going, be a bit more organized, and plan more?’ He didn’t, though. And then, he went a step further.”
‘Once this pile almost reached the ceiling. Now, it’s my turn to make a pile. Up in the closet on the high shelf, for future you.’: Mom has realization her son is growing up too fast
“‘You can’t get rid of this one. This is Tony the pony! Remember? You named him when you were four, and we all laughed and laughed because it was so cute.’ If I’m honest, half of that pile wouldn’t still be there if it weren’t for me begging to let them stay. It hit me, this pile won’t even be here in another year or two.”
‘Who were you back then? Before the lines, before the aches, before time took your strength away?’: Woman urges ‘every day is a blessing’ after encounter with stranger
“Your walk was tired, sore. Your spirit wasn’t. I saw you catch me looking. I saw you wink. It got me thinking.”
‘As I closed your bedroom door, I felt a whisper over my heart. ‘It’s not going to be like this for long. This is the most he’ll ever need his mama.’: Mom urges ‘hold on, soon you’ll have to let go’
“Today was hard. You woke up angry. ‘Want my mommy,’ was said more times than I could count. You were attached to my leg, pushing and shoving and prodding. By the end of the day, I had enough. But as I closed your bedroom door, I felt a whisper over my heart. ‘It’s not going to be like this for long.’ Soon, everything will change. Soon, I’m going to have to start letting you go, little by little.”
‘Mom, can you please come over again?’ The hard nights won’t last forever, but neither will these little, chubby-arm days.’: Mom says ‘one day I will look back on these days, and miss this’
“The nursing every 2 hours. The drive home from the hospital with this new life. Every car was an enemy. The crying days, the googling symptoms, and ‘I’m just so tired,’ days. My mom body–more feminine and efficient than before. The highlights in his hair. The days where I could hold him in my arms, and he fit just right. I’m going to miss this.”
