“I had it all — the cars, the house, the material things. When I got married, I ignored all of the glaring red flags and thought maybe he would change. The truth of the matter was he was not the right person for me. I had no idea how to get out. I felt stuck. What would I do if I left? It took me a while to realize my happiness was worth so much more than any financial security or material comfort.”
‘I’d get married at Taco Bell and wear a piece of string around my finger if it meant spending the rest of my life with the person I adore.’: After abusive relationship, woman says marriage isn’t about material possessions.
‘It took him nearly an hour and a half to finish a bottle. Milk would come out from his nose, his ears. EVERYWHERE.’: Boy’s cleft lip and palate ‘gave him a chance to know why he’s special from an early age’
“I was alone when they told me. I do remember carrying my still squirming baby boy up the stairs to his room and collapsing on the ground next to his dresser, unable to move, unable to even cry. A strange thing happened during this time. I grew up. I got tough. To the rest of the world, it was a defect, but to us, it was precious.”
‘Some days you will question your sanity. You will wonder why you’re doing this job at all. You are so much more than just a nurse.’: Woman pens appreciation letter for OB nurses, ‘No matter what kind of day it is, I see you’
“I’ve had that baby. I’ve had that patient. I’ve cared for the couple whose baby they hold within their arms is no longer alive. I’ve fought to save the mother who is bleeding out. I’ve rescuscitated the baby turning purple as parents stare back in desperation. Your work isn’t measured by a single moment or shift, but the lives of those you touch.”
‘She comes from a broken home. Are you sure you want to marry her?’ My heart sank into my stomach.’: Woman urges ‘just because you come from a broken home doesn’t mean you’re broken’
“The words were written in a letter addressed to my soon-to-be husband. Was the author right? Did he deserve better? My emotion overflowed from my eyes and ran down my cheeks.”
‘Momma, something funny happened.’ He starts rolling up his pant legs and pulls out my THONG.’: Woman shares hilarious mom fail, ‘I had to catch my breath’
“Whenever I pick up my son from school, instead of asking, ‘How was your day?’ I always ask, ‘What made you laugh today?’ Well, OH.MY.GOSH. today was interesting.”
‘I checked the mail to find a strange woman asking my husband for child support. 8 years into marriage, I found out he had another daughter the exact age as our 6-year-old.’: Woman with vitiligo shares incredible journey, ‘Never give up on your dreams’
“At 17, I got pregnant. Life completely changed. After discovering my husband’s double life, I went into the shower to find a white spot under my arm. I tried to scrub it off, but it wouldn’t move. Every time I checked, the spot was bigger and bigger. ‘Is it cancer? Is it contagious?’ I asked the doctor.’There’s no cure.’ As he pulled up pictures on his laptop, I began to cry. ‘I’m going to be a monster.’ Here I was, my marriage ending, horrified no one would ever want me again.”
‘What’s it like being a little person?’ I was touched without my consent and forced to apologize. I was so naive.’: Woman with Achondroplasia urges ‘I’m not a little person, I’m not a dwarf, I’m just Chandler’
“For so long, I thought the compliments were genuine. People would brag about how smart my brother was and be in awe over my sister’s art, while I got a pat on the head for just being…me. When I’d move my head out of the way and say, ‘Don’t pat my head,’ I got, ‘Your daughter shouldn’t talk to me like that. You should teach her manners.’ If I said ‘no’ when being asked if they could shake my hand, because they ‘always wanted to shake a little person’s hand,’ I was ‘rude.’ I felt trapped.”
‘Is this normal?’ My husband watched me jump into that black hole in an effort to pull her out.’: Woman tells how autism affected her marriage, ‘I could only see what was visible in my autism-centered world’
“She withdrew into her own world. I would stand right in front of her, screaming her name. She didn’t even acknowledge I was there. The doctors called it autism. It was still up to me to figure out how to make it better. I pushed everyone away, including my husband. A mother is only as well as her sickest child.”
‘I have a live-in nanny and I’m a SAHM. People enjoy bashing that. I can be in bed by 8′: Stay-at-home mom of autistic child says, ‘I have MS but MS does not have me’
“I can look drunk. I may walk into a grocery store and barely stumble out. I was even accused of thinking I was ‘better than everyone else’ or I ‘don’t have children’ because of what I do for my husband. I choose to stay positive.”
‘I know you beg him to stop. I know you think you can love him hard enough he won’t hurt you anymore. One day, sweet girl, there won’t be a next time.’: Domestic abuse survivor shares powerful testimony for fellow victims, ‘Run and don’t look back’
“One day he’ll kick you so hard it will crush your chest. One day he’ll pin you in the shower while you cower in the corner, begging him not to hit you. One day he’ll push you down on the floor with all his weight, and you’ll realize you can’t defend yourself. One day, it will be absolutely too late.”
