“Sadie’s birthday was such a bittersweet day. We saw all our hopes and dreams vanish. She is so smart, but we know this will all change soon. Before Sadie was born, we dreamed of her playing sports, helping her get ready for prom, college, and her dad walking her down the aisle. Today, we dream our sweet girl lives past the age of 14. We knew we had to fight this.”
‘Sadie is 3. The clock will turn back. Each minute, we’re closer to the dreaded day she begins regressing.’: Newborn diagnosed with Childhood Alzheimer’s, ‘she is the greatest tragedy and blessing’
‘Your baby is breathing 100 times per minute and still not getting oxygen.’ I felt so angry. I wanted answers.’: Mom ‘crushed’ by Childhood Alzheimer’s diagnosis, ‘we spoil her every day’
“I was at work, six months pregnant, when I saw the doctor’s office was calling. I naively answered. I shouldn’t have. ‘The older she gets, the more her body and mind will fade away.’ I didn’t want to call my husband. I wanted to crawl in bed and never come out. We spend each day wondering, ‘Will today be her last? Will she recognize me tomorrow?’ Our sweet, perfect, little girl was dying.”
‘I’m so sorry I can’t take this away.’ He looked up at me with absolute perfect clarity. ‘It’s okay.’: Parents ‘astonished’ by infant son’s miraculous response, lose him days later to rare brain tumor
“We stood in astonishment. Prior to this, he’d only known how to say one word: ‘Dog.’ My wife and I leaned in to tell him we loved him. He looked up again and said, ‘I love you.’ We held his little hand, his little frail body in my arms, and begged him to visit us. I asked him to watch over his siblings. We put him in the black Suburban, and watched them drive away.”
‘No. It’s just a sinus infection.’ I demanded my husband get tested. A full-blown yelling match ensued. ‘OK, OK.’: Woman loses husband to Brain Cancer after ‘sinus infection’ misdiagnosis, ‘this is a never-ending healing journey’
“Ray, the epitome of health, awoke to a terrible migraine. I asked for a cat scan. ‘He is FINE,’ I was told. I knew in the depths of my soul something wasn’t right. 20 minutes later, the same doctor and 3 nurses rushed in. The door flew open so hard it bounced off the wall! The nurses ripped cords from walls, tossed his belongs on the stretcher. ‘Whoa, what’s going on?!’ The doctor, without even looking at us, said, ‘We found a mass. It’s the largest I’ve ever seen.’ He turned and left the room, never to be seen again.”
‘I was accused of murder. Twice.’: Mother of 6 recalls murder accusations brought against her after gaining custody of half-brother in wake of parent’s deaths
“My father signed over custody to me. The judge granted it one day before he died. We were settling into our new lives when I heard a knock at my door. A USPS worker handed me a certified envelope. I read the horrific accusations. Homicide. Someone is saying I murdered my father. Murdered. That I killed him. Me. His daughter. I hit my knees, sobbing, wanting to die. ‘This is it. I’m going to be arrested.’ I was petrified. What if someone actually believes this?”
‘The adoption date changed. Then the unthinkable happened. My darling husband collapsed from a seizure.’: Husband dies 2 weeks before twin adoption finalized to become ‘official family of 5’
“I knew from the moment I saw this tiny dynamic duo, they were mine – the love at first sight squeezed my heart as I looked into their squishy, brown faces. I was immediately a goner for these kids. We were a force to be reckoned with. I was a mom on a mission, and I was prepared to do anything to seal the deal for our family. Then yet another bomb detonated. My husband Peter fell ill with a vicious terminal disease.”
‘Can you believe her?,’ I exclaimed. I was so appalled. I’m not ready to say goodbye.’: Widow urges you to ‘be prepared for the unexpected’ after mom catches her off guard preparing for her death
“When I woke up, I noticed I had an email from my mom. Usually, those entail some kind of funny joke or forwarded message, but this time, she needed information. Specifically, my kids’ social security numbers so she can set up accounts for them to be ‘transferable upon (her) death.’ Wait, what?”
‘I’m waiting for my daughter to die. Every day I wake up, she might not.’: Mom gives birth to ‘rainbow baby’ with ‘rare, terminal’ Sanfilippo syndrome, makes ‘each day count’
“She went from surpassing all her milestones to not being able to walk, drink, or eat. I was tired of going home from the hospital with no answers, the typical run around from doctors. One day, with 10 residents, 5 doctors, and 4 nurses in front of me, I said, and I quote, ‘Discharge her again and I promise I’ll sue every single person standing in this room.’ Needless to say, they ran every test. I now know that instead of her burying me, I’ll be burying her.”
‘As my daughter was giggling, bursting with love in the next room, I was learning she wouldn’t be growing up at all.’ Mom’s 18-month-old daughter diagnosed with ‘Childhood Alzheimer’s’
“The phone rang. I grabbed a notepad, a pen, took a deep breath. How do you prepare yourself to answer a call with the results of whether your 18-month-old daughter is going to die? My mind shut off. All the air left the room. ‘Very serious, no cure yet, not sure, lots of research.'”
‘I felt pregnant, but odds were slim. Brad was declared sterile. No one had ever survived a recurrence from this disease.’: Woman gets pregnant with ‘miracle baby’ despite husband’s terminal cancer diagnosis
“‘Go home and enjoy the time you have left,’ our doctor told us. Brad could not reckon the idea of leaving me as a single mom. But, I could not reckon the idea of not having a piece of him here with me on earth. We decided to take a giant leap of faith.”
