“Then something unexpected happened. A person neither of us knew reached out, wondering if they could have a doll made specifically for their niece who had a vascular anomaly. The auntie wanted to show her niece she should be proud of who she is and being different is powerful.”
‘She created a series of dolls to give representation to the least represented.’: Mom creates diversity dolls so her daughters can celebrate all differences
‘When a friend died by overdose, or suicide, or car accident, we celebrated them with a toast and a drink.’: Woman 2 years sober shares powerful message on drinking culture, ‘I finally see it’
“In my late 20s and 30s, friends moved from drinking to drugs. Friends committed suicide, died in drunken car accidents. Careers were derailed by DUIs. I was visiting jail and driving friends to court-ordered AA meetings. Still, I didn’t see it.”
‘Just 5 years old he prayed, ‘Please God, send me an Earth Dad.’ Turns out, he didn’t need to be ‘found.’ He was right there all along.’: Woman finds love close to home after husband’s suicide
“There was a shift in the world, bringing us together at the same place, at the same time. And in the matter of one afternoon, our hearts opened to feel something we’d never considered before. A man I had known for years, and yet, I was truly just seeing for the very first time.”
To The Ones Barely Hanging On—It Will Get Better
“And if the situation doesn’t, you will. With each struggle, we get better, stronger, more resilient, and become more us than ever before.”
‘My son came to me in a dream after he died. ‘Mom, stop looking for me. You won’t find the me that was. I am alive in everyone around you. I am always with you.’: Mom of 4 loses firstborn son to suicide, gets touching winks from afterlife
“When we lowered his casket into the ground, a butterfly followed it in, and flew out as soon as the casket was laid down. It was evident to everyone who witnessed it; he lived life so big, and he would live as big on the other side. And so began his larger-than-life journey.”
‘Is Mike really dead?’ I went to his funeral only yesterday. I spiraled.’: Woman shares journey with psychosis to break stigma, ‘It shouldn’t be a scary word’
“According to the media, I was going to become a lonely crazy person or a full-on murderer. It was only a matter of time before I became a monster.”
‘This wasn’t your ‘mom-loses-her-crap-sometimes’ situation. I felt like a pressure cooker.’: Mom battles depression, ‘I’m a better mother when I’m my best self’
“There was a miscommunication about bringing my son lunch at school, and as a result, he was upset. I felt awful. The incident was small, but it pushed me over the edge. And I EXPLODED.”
‘The night I found out, I circled the kitchen island, repeating, ‘God! I PRAYED for her!’ I was SO angry.’: Woman describes healing after little sister’s suicide
“When I say her name, I don’t imagine a hospital bed and a funeral. No, I imagine her great, big smile that lit up an entire room. I imagine her laugh, her soft hands and perfect pixie nose. I imagine her holding a flower crown on her head, the wind softly blowing her hair.”
‘Daddy, what did you do?’ Our charcoal grill was sitting in the middle of the room, towels blocking the windows. I started screaming.’: Woman shares grief of losing father to suicide
“One day, my dad handed me half of a rock. He pulled out the other half and said, ‘If you ever miss me, put the two halves together. Then it’ll be okay and we’ll be together.’ I didn’t really understand, but I took the rock.”
‘I can’t do it anymore.’ She was crying. For the first time ever, I felt I didn’t know her.’: Twin shares story of sister’s suicide to raise awareness, ‘I’ll never be whole again’
“‘I am so proud of you, and I love you.’ She hung up on me. I didn’t believe her at first. At 1:38 a.m., I received the email. ‘I am about to jump off the Market St. bridge…’”
