“Thoughts of a nice smooth pregnancy went out the window. My biggest fears were coming to life.”
‘The doctor walked in and said, ‘It’s time to take him.’ A rush of fear came over me. We were supposed to have another week.’: Heart warrior ‘defies the odds one day at a time’
‘We have your husband.’ A pit formed in my stomach. Looking back, my heart hadn’t really begun to break yet.’: Widow shares ‘the pits and peaks of grief’ after losing husband
“The nurse drew the curtain back and I crumbled. His big feet stuck out from the sheets. I bent and kissed his head three times as we did every time we left each other.”
‘Are you constantly aware of your heartbeat?’ I was confused. Couldn’t everyone feel their heartbeat all the time?.’: Woman overcomes two open-heart surgeries
“I vividly remember putting my signature on a piece of paper that said, ‘Side effects: stroke and death.’ I turned to my family and said, ‘I’ve just signed my life away.'”
‘I recorded a video for my daughter in case I didn’t make it. ‘Mommy loves you more than life itself.’ It was suffocating.’: Mom undergoes second open-heart surgery, ‘Every day, I wake up grateful’
“I walked to my car, sobbing. This wasn’t the news I had expected. Suddenly, every scenario of my daughter growing up without a mom went flashing through my mind.”
‘Our newborn photographer said, ‘Coincidentally, my daughter has it too.’ I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon, it will be scarred forever.’: Mom details emotional journey with son’s Congenital Heart Disease
“I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon enough, it will be scarred forever.’ Every day, I am reminded of my son’s disease in the form of an exclamation point on his chest.”
‘When he needs me, he can reach out that cute little hand and mine will be right there, ready for him. Steady for him.’: Special needs mom shares ode to brave son with extra chromosome, ‘I hold his hands, but he holds my heart’
“Every step he takes is a mountain climbed, every word he signs or says is a dream realized, every milestone met, a prayer answered. He is the bravest person I know.”
‘What if they don’t believe me?’ The surgeons had NO answers. I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome warrior becomes advocate, ‘The frustration fueled a fire in me’
“I could’ve lost my life. I think of the doctor who laughed at me. ‘You’re healthy!’ he’d say. I wanted to give up more times than I can count. But I NEVER wanted someone to walk in my shoes.”
‘The news was a parent’s WORST nightmare. ‘We found a tumor.’: Mom gives birth to twins, one with heart defect, while daughter battles cancer
“We were determined to give him a chance at life. They told us there was a 50% chance he would make it to 5. We accepted this as our new normal and felt TOTALLY mentally prepared. Or so we thought.”
‘Are you sure about having this baby?’ He was as blue as a Smurf. I walked down the corridor, empty, without my baby.’: Mom shares son’s journey with congenital heart defect, ‘It made me who I am’
“I didn’t know what or how to feel. ‘I’m numb.’ The word ‘death’ was written under risk factors. Signing the consent form was the scariest thing I’d ever done. It was basically signing away your child to your worst fear.”
‘Babe, were you drugged?’ The entire right side of my body was limp. I opened my mouth but words wouldn’t come out.’: Stroke survivor details recovery journey, ‘I got a second chance at life’
“My head started spinning. The next thing I knew, I woke up lying on the cold bathroom floor. A team of nurses pulled out defibrillators. ‘Claire, can you hear me?’ It was excruciating. I couldn’t help but scream out.”
