“’Momma, I have an idea! What if after the doctor helps you have this baby, Jesus gives us a 6th one!’ He was hurting, too. I was so lucky to have raised this young man.”
‘My 7-year-old said plainly, ‘Momma, there’s no heartbeat.’: Mom describes loss of child, ‘He made me aware of my strength’
‘We need Native American families for these kids. Are you interested?’ It took us two seconds to say, ‘Yes, we’re ready.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘Every child deserves a family’
“When you hold these sweet babies in your arms, you’re entrusted with a lot. They need you showing up for them, fighting for them. No one else is doing it. All you need is a heart that has room to love them. Everything else falls into place.”
‘Mom asked, ‘Will boys find you attractive?’ But I wasn’t a boy OR a girl. I acted feminine to avoid bullying.’: Non-binary person shares journey, ‘I want my body to feel like mine’
“I destroyed all my relationships because I was living a lie. ‘Will people think I’m a freak?’ I wanted to be proud of who I was.”
‘Unfortunately, you weren’t accepted.’ Everyone made jokes about me. ‘It’s because she’s FAT.’ My heart dropped.’: Young woman shares self-love journey, ‘I am worthy’
“’I know why you didn’t get in. They told us.’ My heart sank. ‘They didn’t think you’d be able to do physical activity.’ I was the only one who didn’t. It opened my eyes.”
‘How can ‘I’ be gay?’ Gay guys have great hair, creamy skin, and abs. I had a HUGE belly hanging over my pants.’: Gay man learns body acceptance, ‘Being plus-sized doesn’t define me’
“Nothing fit right. My mom brought me to the ‘husky’ section. ‘What does husky mean?’ She said, ‘It’s for boys like you.’ BOOM. There it was. It wasn’t what she said. It was how she said it, in an almost hush, as if it was something embarrassing to be discussed.”
‘How could this be happening AGAIN?’ My heart couldn’t handle it.’: After near-death experience, mom welcomes daughter with spina bifida
“‘She’ll likely never walk and she may have brain damage.’ She gently offered termination. But we wanted to raise a strong, independent, and confident daughter. We had a PLAN.”
‘I was accepted into Juilliard. I’d worked SO hard, and suddenly I couldn’t even do what I was there to do. I was forced to STOP.’: Musician details struggle with connective tissue disease, ‘My health became priority’
“I practiced 2 hours the day before, but when I got to class I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I ran out of the classroom and cried. I HAD to acknowledge my pain.”
‘She’s losing a LOT of blood.’ They took me, leaving my partner and baby behind, not knowing if I’d see them again.’: Mom survives post-birth hemorrhage, ‘Doctors and midwives saved my life’
“My husband saw them rushing with blood for my transfusion. They didn’t update him. He assumed the worst had happened.”
‘I can’t hear.’ I tell her to write. She gives me a dismissive hand wave.’: Deaf woman reminds us to be patient during the pandemic
“The tears fall. She gives me the wave off with her hand saying, ‘Nevermind.’ I’ve faced frustration, but never like this.”
‘Everything’s going to be alright,’ we whisper. She can swoop in and make it all better, but she doesn’t have superpowers.’: Mom says ‘we’re humans that struggle too’
“You see, she’s been fighting mental illness on top of a pandemic. She’s been worrying about her kids every second of the day. She’s been trying to make everyone’s world as normal as possible, and guess who’s forgotten? Her. Don’t let her carry all the burden alone.”
