“We were in the middle of making pancakes when the doorbell rang. And just like that, we were parents. There was no turning back now.”
‘We’re newlyweds! We have no idea how to parent a 9-year-old.’ There were a million unknowns, but we said YES.’: Foster parents share journey, ‘We wouldn’t change a single moment’
‘Is it strange to be pregnant with someone else’s baby? The seed was planted. ‘Go meet your daddies.’: Woman ‘honored’ after navigating surrogacy journey twice
“I asked if I could see her face for a moment before they took her. We heard her crying and they brought over this new, perfect baby. I kissed her cheek, welcomed her to the world and told her to go meet her daddies.”
‘Redheads are witches!’ From my first breath, I was different. I had to find love within myself.’: Bullying survivor shares journey to self-love
“My hair put me in the spotlight. People thought I was strange or unhappy, but on the inside was a party full of light and laughter. I had to choose ME.”
‘We moved in after 5 months of dating. Not because we were madly in love, but because of the pandemic. We had a 50/50 chance of this working out.’: Woman shares pandemic love story
“We had a 50/50 chance of working out. My emotions had me laughing at the irony of finally finding a boyfriend after being single for five years – yet, here we were, in the middle of a pandemic on lockdown.”
‘You’re too young to have a sexual preference.’ I was bullied RELENTLESSLY. I was to find a wife and lead my household.’: Non-binary LGBTQ person shares journey, ‘Your queerness is your MAGIC’
“After SO much pain and anguish, I felt relief. I wasn’t changed, but for the first time, I accepted myself. For the first time, I said out loud, ‘I am gay.'”
‘He stabbed her with a pencil. The teacher said, ‘He just likes her!’: Mom fights for daughter being bullied for race, ‘You HAVE to be their advocate’
“’Is it okay for Black girls to be Elsa for Halloween?’ I said, ‘ANYONE can be Elsa! Even a boy!’ She cried, ‘They told me if I want to be Elsa, I should wash my dirty skin.’ I was FUMING.”
‘How could any guy be interested in me? I’d stare in the mirror, disgusted and wondering, ‘Why me?’ Makeup became my security blanket.’: Woman with Port Wine Stain, Blue Nevus urges ‘self-love starts when you stop comparing’
“Recently, I was asked, ‘Would you remove it if you could?’ I thought about it: ‘No.’ 10-year-old me would have never believed I’d be saying this!”
‘I’m sending over a file. It’s a little boy with medical needs.’ I was in the middle of a Waffle House. The day, the time, the minute came when I could finally hold him.’: Family adopt boy with facial difference, hearing impairment, ‘We will continue the torch’
“As I held our son, I wept for his first mommy and daddy. Their sacrifice and dedication to love were beyond unfathomable. I kissed him on his little forehead, and quietly promised to first mommy and daddy I would continue the torch lit by their sacrifice. I would adore our son. I would honor his story. And I would teach him about sacrificial love.”
‘Open your eyes. Be my mommy again,’ I wailed. Was it possible to lose both parents on the same day?’: Woman shares journey after losing parents to brain cancer, ‘We are not guaranteed time’
“I tucked her rosary into her hands as I played her favorite song, leaned over, and kissed her forehead. And with that, she was gone. With the same quiet softness with which she cradled me in her arms as a babe and whispered me a lullaby, she slipped out of this world and onto the next, where my dad was waiting to greet her.”
‘Your tests came back fine, just do yoga.’ I spent 29 years thinking I was weak. I was done feeling like a victim.’: Chronic illness warrior welcomes rainbow baby, ‘I’m proud of who I am’
“When I went to doctors, I didn’t get answers. Instead, I entered into a world of discrimination and trauma. ‘You just want pain meds.’ I’d need a lot of strength for the next part of my journey.”