“At the store, Tegan spotted a man who looked like Santa. She reminded him she sent him a letter asking for a kidney for her little brother. ‘Thank you for making my wish come true.’ It appeared Santa was about to cry.”
‘Dear Santa, I want a kidney for my brother.’ My eyes filled with tears. Her letter to Santa meant everything to her.’: Woman details granddaughter’s Christmas wish, ‘I believe in miracles’
‘The nurse said, ‘God bless you. This will make their Christmas.’ That’s all I could ever hope for, for others to not feel alone.’: Sickle Cell warrior starts Christmas toy drive, ‘It came full circle’
“Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces in the pictures reminded me of waking up on Christmas day in my hospital bed. Even hooked up to a drip, I’d open my presents. I wanted to make a difference.”
‘She said the words I hoped to never hear again, ‘You have cancer.’ I know life isn’t fair, but 3 times? It felt downright cruel.’: Mom shares cancer journey, ‘While I’m changed, I’m still here’
“One night, I woke up crying in pain. ‘Please just cut my leg off!’ I lost my childhood, my innocence. Just as life started to feel normal, my scans weren’t coming back clear. There was something in my lung and no one knew what it was.”
‘I WILL find you again.’ My heart was turned upside down by a 3-year-old.’: Woman becomes life-long orphan advocate, ‘There are so many ways to be family’
“‘I know my odds aren’t great to find a family.’ The children were simply numbers. But he held out hope. We both did.”
‘I was accepted into Juilliard. I’d worked SO hard, and suddenly I couldn’t even do what I was there to do. I was forced to STOP.’: Musician details struggle with connective tissue disease, ‘My health became priority’
“I practiced 2 hours the day before, but when I got to class I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I ran out of the classroom and cried. I HAD to acknowledge my pain.”
‘Aunty Dana, are all angels white or can they be brown, too?’ I was ashamed. All the angels on display in my home were white.’: New mom reflects on Christmas traditions, ‘Angels come in all colors’
“I worried about how I’d pass down my family and cultural traditions. How could I make sure they saw themselves in the Christmas festivities? The next thing I knew, I had my first piece of the puzzle – a beautiful black angel.”
‘I feel like we’re meant to have more kids.’ I replied, ‘But you’re snipped!’ I started to ugly cry and I knew my heart was opened.’: Mom welcomes rainbow baby, ‘Our family wouldn’t be the same’
“We dropped my husband off at the doctor and BAM! Our ability to have more children was gone. I remember thinking, ‘It’s crazy such a massive, life-altering decision can carry out in only minutes.’ I mourned the loss of the kiddos we didn’t have but I had moved on… Or so I thought!”
‘You’re a match!’ It was life-changing. Now I look at the words ‘Donate Life’ and truly understand the meaning.’: Mom donates kidney to newborn son, ‘It’s the best thing I’ve ever done’
“Noah was unstable and constantly suffering through seizures. We didn’t realize until a few days later his kidneys had failed. They were shocked he made it.”
‘Each test was negative. ‘But I did everything right.’ I was so discouraged. My heart was aching for the intended parents.’: Woman details surrogacy journey, ‘It’s all worth it’
“I felt so overwhelmed, like I was going to mess something up, and I hadn’t even started yet. There’s a weight of carrying someone else’s child that’s much heavier than your own.”
‘I can’t do this on my own!’ He missed hearing our baby’s heartbeat. Our due date was coming and I was a nervous wreck.’: New mom details pandemic pregnancy, ‘Cherish every moment’
“My bump was finally starting to pop! I was on cloud nine. I had so many plans… and then the world was tipped upside down. I wanted to run and hide my baby from this horrible virus.”