“I collapsed in the middle of the backyard. My face buried in the grass, which Scott took so much pride in maintaining, everything on me curled up. A single thought floated to my mind. Our kids. And I stood up.”
‘Your husband was killed on impact. Everything that could be done, was done.’: Woman ‘stands up’ for her 3 children after losing husband in tragic car accident
‘The geneticist was blunt: ‘She’s going to become the pet of the school.’ It was like a tornado hit the room.’: Mom feels ‘immensely proud’ of daughter with Down syndrome after initial shock
“The life I imagined crashed before me and fell to pieces. The sadness consumed me like an angry fire I couldn’t put out. I heard the words, ‘She has characteristics of Down syndrome.’ But then, I saw my daughter with her big marble colored eyes and blonde hair. Finally, I embraced it.”
‘I don’t understand how you don’t love me anymore, just like that,’ I said. I grabbed her hand and clenched so tight.’: Man loses wife to ‘rare, aggressive’ cancer, ‘It is possible for the living to die too’
“‘John, you didn’t lie to me,’ she said. ‘What do you mean?,’ I asked. ‘You told me you would never leave.’ ‘I do still love you,’ she responded, and then stopped.”
‘The billing department doesn’t care if your baby died. The medical companies don’t care if you’re on unpaid leave because your child is a long-term patient. You still have to pay.’
“It keeps me lying awake at night, tears and stress making my heart race. I’m drowning in medical debt. And I know I’m not alone.”
‘I heard a lady say, ‘I would never NOT care if my child was running around. I’d STOP them.’ She gave me a disapproving look when my son threw himself forward and I had to catch him.’
“My son clung to me like Velcro. I had to peel him off me to grab my purse to order. He screamed, he yelled, he wanted to leave. I know what people think of parents who come in with kids screaming at restaurants.”
‘Katie, get off the couch!,’ was the last thing I heard before witnessing the shattering sound of the gun.’: Woman overcomes extreme trauma to marry love of her life
“Suddenly a steamy, hot single dad appeared with an adorable little kindergarten girl ready to meet her teacher. That teacher was me. I don’t know how to describe what I felt when I stared at him, but there was a knowing. A knowing this would be deep, intimate, epic love I had done all the work for. He was different than any other man. He was the one for me, this I knew.”
‘We were forced into protective isolation, I was told to stop breastfeeding. Then: ‘Do not kiss your baby, do not allow any visitors, keep her covered.’
“Little did I know, all of that planning would be in vain. Our lives were about to take a turn we never could have planned for.”
‘They tell us a baby boy has been born in Texas, our home state. They don’t know many details, but ask if we would be interested. I cannot imagine what she must be feeling.’
“The next hour is a blur. She has until 12:30 to make her final decision and she is spending the morning cuddling her sweet boy.”
‘There is something wrong. She won’t open her eyes and is very weak.’ I drove to the babysitter’s house like a rocket! I collapsed in tears. Everything was chaos after that.’
“At lunchtime, I received a call no mother should ever receive. Who could be capable of hurting our baby? We trusted everyone around her.”
‘No matter what he says, we’ll be OK.’ He told us we had a .001% chance of conceiving on our own. ‘You’re pregnant, with twins!’: Foster mom becomes pregnant, ‘God doesn’t give you more than you can handle’
“My heart started racing. Why was she calling? ‘Would you be open to the placement of this sweet boy again?’ I blurted, “YES, of course.’ Then I started sobbing. How can I care for a toddler AND twins?”