“It was the day of my first stomach ultrasound. The doctor was quiet. He ended with, ‘I’m getting you in with the doctor’s downstairs soon,’ and walked out. I thought they were going to tell me the gender. I was so naive. ‘Madi, we aren’t here to find out the gender. We’re here because your doctor thinks your baby is dying.’ I bawled. I was handed a sticky note with a phone number for an abortion clinic. It was a matter of time before my body started breaking down.”
‘You can terminate the pregnancy or wait for the baby’s heart to be crushed.’ I feared being judged by friends and family for deciding to save my life.’: Woman births rainbow baby after painful decision to abort dying son, ‘He was suffocating’
‘She was in her bouncer when I heard, ‘CRACK!’ A voice in my head said, ‘Take her, NOW.’ There was more to the story than I knew.’: Baby diagnosed with Brittle Bone Disease, ‘She’s our little fighter’
“It was a Friday afternoon when I got the call. Athena and I were picking out Build-A-Bears. ‘How was this missed?!’ At the ER, the doctor asked, ‘How did this happen? Who took care of her?’ He was checking to see if we had purposely abused her. ‘We need to verify if DHR needs to be involved.’ It broke my heart all over again. They checked for more brusing. I was terrified of losing her.”
‘I watched Grace’s head hit the front of the truck. Our entire bodies went under. ‘These tires are going to run us over. I’m going to lose my child.’: Woman describes trauma of car accident ‘I continue to play the ‘what if’ game with myself’
“I remember thinking, ‘This guy better stop,’ but telling Grace in a quick tone, ‘Come on. We need to hurry.’ From the sidewalk, I reached out both of my hands and yelled ‘Stop!’ I watched my own self and 3-year-old daughter get struck by a moving vehicle.”
‘Do not tell him to Go Big or Go Home!’ I whisper and instantly regret. The EMT rushed out onto the course. Skier 107 is my son. My 6-year-old son.’: Parents teach son the importance of perseverance
“‘Go Big or Go Home!’ his dad told him. Honey, this is supposed to be a fun thing,’ I told him as I brushed back his golden hair. ‘But Mommy, what if I lose?’ he cried. When we arrive at the top of the mountain, he panics. ‘I don’t want to do it, Mommy. I am scared.’ I hear the cries of the crowd, the unmistakable climax of shock, and then silence.”
‘The surgeon accidentally cut an artery. ‘This ring is yours now, Molz. She wanted you to have it. I wish she could have given it to you, herself.’: Woman surprised with late grandma’s ring after freak accident, ‘It was her little gift to me, straight from Heaven’
“My grandmother bled to death. My grandpa was heartbroken. It was a shock for all of us. A freak accident. There was no time to say goodbye or make sure she knew we loved her. When I called my grandpa to let him know I was eloping, his voice immediately perked up. ‘You need THE RING. She always wanted you to have it.’ I never expected it. I never even knew I wanted it. I felt an immense sense of peace wash over.”
‘There’s a rule at my daughter’s school. If you’re going to invite one child to your birthday party, you’re required to invite them all.’: Mom of autistic daughter says ‘You never know the gift you’ll get by simply saying yes to every child’
“Right now, my daughter is friends with no one. She keeps to herself and sees little interest in gossip or small talk. And that has to do with a little part of her called autism. Include the child who keeps to themselves. The one that’s weird. The one that’s ‘rude.’ Extend an invite to those who are like you, but also those who differ.”
‘A group of ‘friends’ chased me and threw a water bottle at me, while snorting and calling me ‘Mrs. Piggy.’ I ran and carried the shame that weighed more.’: Woman shares journey to self-love, changes she made for her daughter
“After delivering my first child at 15, I was left with a body I didn’t recognize – heavier, softer, and covered in stretch marks. I wallowed here. I was molested here. I hid underneath men’s clothes, 2 sizes too big. Anything to deflect sexual attention. I am more than my body, but this vessel is not less important because its existence has been perverted and misused since the beginning of time.”
‘You’ll question if you’re doing anything right. Panic, second guess, google search. You’ll rise in the dead of night, time after time, and wonder if you’re enough.’: Mom shares touching letter to mothers, ‘It isn’t easy, but it is so, so worth it’
“You will swear across pillowcases as to whose turn it is to get up. You’ll be busy, yet also feel as if you’re achieving nothing. You will question your identity. You will forget the rain comes before the rainbow. You’ll fall, but keep climbing. There were two people born that day.”
‘I sat up half awake. ‘Where is she?’ My husband woke up and looked confused. ‘Who?’ I said, ‘Shiloh. Where is Shiloh?!’: Baby with Cri Du Chat Syndrome survives after battling to stay alive 122 days in NICU, ‘I am so privileged to be her mom’
“He said in a gentle voice, ‘Can we talk to you both in the conference room?’ I knew we were going to receive life-changing news. ‘What more could go wrong?’ I wanted to not be me. Most moms dream of that euphoric moment when their precious baby is delivered into their arms. I did too. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the dream. I got the nightmare. The daughter I had dreamed up was gone.”
‘My principal said, ‘I’m adding a boy to your class. He’s from foster care and has Down syndrome.’ I felt this tug on my heart. ‘I want to take him home.’: Single mom, kindergarten teacher adopts down syndrome student
“I was still a single mom of a boy with autism living in a 2-bedroom apartment. My son was all grown. In comes this short, little peanut with those blue wrap-around glasses, all wide-eyed and ready to go. ‘I want to take him home.’ I couldn’t even get the words out before I started bawling!”
