south carolina

‘DON’T let it hurt him like it did your brother.’ I can still smell the hospital and hear him cry. My son would be SUCCESSFUL.’: Sister of brother with autism becomes single mom to special needs son

“I had a front-row seat to how the world treated my brother. I knew how cruel the system could be. He was constantly told he could not achieve his goals and desires, but he told the world, ‘Just watch me.’”

Edited By Amanda Doulos

‘We’re losing her.’ Her body was getting colder. She started coughing with a gurgling sound.’: Husband describes ‘the worst day of his life’ saying ‘goodbye’ to his beloved 30-year-old wife dying of terminal cancer

“The nurse looked right at me. I knew our time was getting short. As she started getting weaker, I picked her up and carried her to bed. The hospice nurse told me to start talking to her, and not stop. ‘I love you. I love you so much. Thank you for being in my life,’ I kept telling her over and over. I wish I said more that evening. I only made 2 calls that night.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘Are we still getting married?,’ she looked at me in tears. She wanted to protect me.’: Man loses wife to stage 4 cancer months after wedding, ‘I have a huge hole in my heart’

“We had already chosen our wedding date. We had booked our venue, sent out save-the-dates. The doctors encouraged us to move it up, fearing the worst. But we decided no matter what, we weren’t changing it. 3 weeks before, she lost her hair again. ‘I fell in love with you when you were bald,’ I told her. She was absolutely stunning walking down the aisle. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Right before her 30th birthday, we decided to give up all treatment and enjoy the time we had left.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘This sweet lady called me for 3 months thinking I was her grandson. She finally figured out I wasn’t Barry. She always ends her calls with, ‘love you, later.’

“I had just found out my parents were getting divorced. I struggled with it a lot. Her unexpected, wrong calls helped me so much. When she realized it was my number and not her grandson’s, I wondered if I would ever hear from her again. Well, I finally got to meet her.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘Your baby doesn’t have eyes.’ What do you mean?! I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.’: Mom discovers baby is blind 16 hours after birth, ‘She is mine and she is so loved’

“I saw her in my dreams with big brown eyes. ‘I think she may be blind.’ Not only was she completely blind, but she also didn’t have eyes! To actually not have eyes seemed impossible. We went home thinking that blindness would be Evely’s only struggle. Boy, were we wrong.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘I think he has what mommy has!’ He had white chunks of skin around his fingers and toes’: Mom and son diagnosed with Ichthyosis genetic skin condition

“I looked at the ultrasound picture with his hand balled up in a fist. In that moment, I knew. I felt guilty that my choice to potentially pass on this genetic condition could cause one of my children to have a less than perfect life.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘This is dwarfism. I am 99% certain the result will be fatal for the baby.’: Doctor drops bomb on mom during routine ultrasound, ‘He watched me completely break down’

“There it was. A bomb. He dropped it and then watched me completely break down. ‘I am certain this is skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism) and 99% certain the result will be fatal for the baby.’ We spun with the overload of information that had been given to us about our baby’s diagnosis.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy

‘Realizing I was gay gave me feelings I was trying to numb. I felt like I was doing something wrong and if people found out, I wouldn’t be loved. I spent 15 years in a downward spiral.’

“I hated drugs, but I also couldn’t be away from them. My family had no idea what to do. You name it, they tried it in hopes of getting their son back – but it got a lot worse before it got better.”

Edited By Eliza Murphy