“The doctor clearly stated, ‘Though I am proud of you, I feel this is a huge mistake.’ I didn’t care. I was brave, different, one of a kind.”
‘Tina, you’re sick, like lifelong sick. This is a bad idea.’: Lupus warrior quits narcotics after 9 years, ‘I turned my anger into courage’
I Got Pregnant At 41 Years Old Despite My IUD
“I thought about abortion. But one day, scrolling through Facebook, I saw a post from a childhood neighbor. She had a friend who, with her wife, were looking to adopt. People judged me. ‘Even though you hate the father, don’t hate the baby.’ I knew exactly what it felt like to want a baby more than anything and not be able to have one. It was my time to help.”
‘You’re pushing your gay AGENDA if we let you adopt.’: Gay dad adopts 2 kids, runs for mayor, ‘Love will ALWAYS drown out hate’
“Little did we know, we’d adopt TWO children instead of one. Although I don’t want to be looked at as ‘that gay dad,’ being a gay parent is a brave new world.”
I Let My Kids Miss A Couple Days Of School—Because Kids Need Mental Health Breaks, Too
“As a mom, I am always so caught up in making sure I get break. That I get time away. That I get lazy days. That I get treat days. I often forget my children need, and deserve them, too.”
‘When it was my turn to play dress-up, they paused. ‘Oh, Liz, there aren’t any princesses left.’ My confidence was shattered.’: Woman with Goldenhar Syndrome advocates for facial equality
“The blonde girl was Cinderella, the brunette was Belle. ‘Liz, you can be the mother.’ There was no princess that resembled what I looked like, no role for me to play.”
Parenting Older Kids Can Feel Lonely Sometimes
“The little people who once hung all over me. Needing me constantly. Poking chubby little fingers under the door of the bathroom. Calling for me, ‘Momma! Watch this!’ over and over. Well, they’re growing up. And their wants and needs seem bigger than anything I can provide.”
‘I’ll never be pretty enough for people to want to be my friend.’ I had to face my hair loss.’: Woman shares journey with alopecia
“I felt like I had no identity other than being the weird bald girl. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was disappointed with what I saw.”
‘My first full sentence was, ‘My back hurts.’ I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that was for my mom.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I am brave and strong’
“I asked daily, ‘Why me?’ I was so frustrated and angry at the world. I didn’t understand why I had to endure this much pain and trauma.”
‘My mom said, ‘Christine, you’ve lost 3 babies. Do you think this is God’s way of giving your lost babies back?’ I sat there, crying.’: Mom of spontaneous triplets says ‘they are my heroes’
“The doctor said, ‘You have a rare case, my dear. Your triplets are a week apart in gestational age.’ I didn’t even know that was possible! The jaw-dropping moments don’t stop there.“
‘The pool was cold, green, and dirty. He was in the water for 20 minutes.’: Teenaged friend of drowning victim starts nonprofit for awareness
“He was just 2 years old. I watched his family suffer the unimaginable. I needed to prevent tragedies like this from happening.”