“He ran from me, crying and frightened. ’What has he been through? What has he seen? Can I do this?’ God sent him to tell me I COULD do this. It’s not an easy calling, but I am living God’s word.”
‘He’s a biter. Will you take him?’ He was dropped off with nothing but the clothes on his back. By the time he left, he called me ‘Mom.’: Single foster mom shares journey, ‘I was made for this’
‘We eloped. 3 weeks later, my wife said her stomach was bothering her. ‘I need to call 911! I screamed. Her words became jumbled, her face contorted.’: LGBTQ+ newlywed details sudden journey with stroke, Moyamoya disease
“Her words became jumbled…like she was speaking into a tin can in slow motion. Her face contorted into a shape I will never forget. She’d never been sick, never had health issues. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. We rushed to the hospital. ‘I need to give her a kiss and tell her how much I love her.’ We went from newlyweds to part of a club no one signs up for.”
‘I thought people had to be pretty to work here.’ I acted like I wasn’t bothered, but I cried the whole night.’: Woman with psoriatic arthritis says she ‘isn’t defined’ by her condition
“It was no bigger than a penny, but I wasn’t really concerned. Then a customer said, ‘What’s on your face?’ My boss asked if I was okay, and I put on a brave face and acted as if I wasn’t bothered. Neither of us could believe what had just happened.”
‘You look fine.’ No one sees what you go through each day. I was afraid no one would want to be around the ‘sick girl.’: Woman advocates for invisible illnesses, ‘We are strong TOGETHER’
“When I tell people, the reply is normally, ‘I know someone who had that and died!’ As you can imagine, it’s incredibly upsetting. Some days, you want to scream.”
‘We have an 11-year-old with identity issues. Would you be able to take him in?’ We said yes to 30 days from now. Then we received a call: ‘Can he move in today?’: LGBT couple adopt 4 children from foster care
“‘Am I too young? Am I good enough?’ The fear set in. Soon, he arrived at our house with nothing but two trash bags, his life packed away in them. His shoes were too small, his clothes barely fit. The days of bouncing from home to home would finally be over.”
‘It’s not good news.’ Our hearts sank. How did I lose both of them at the same time? I didn’t know how much more I could take.’: Couple battles infertility, ‘We aren’t ready to give up.’
“While grieving another month with no baby, I called my doctor to set up more appointments. I’ve got 8 more embryos waiting for me. Waiting to become a life. One day, I will be called mommy.”
‘I begged for a miscarriage. ‘I don’t want this. I’m not going to be good at this.’ I was in SUCH a dark place.’: New mom shares pregnancy acceptance journey, ‘It’s okay if it feels scary’
“I peed on that little stick. ‘One line…. phew. Oh, wait, another line is forming. Holy smokes, that line is AGGRESSIVELY dark. Can these things be wrong?’ Immediately, I just started sobbing.”
‘Uh, excuse me? What are you doing?’ I noticed my husband taking an empty milk cup out of the dishwasher. It sparked a fight that resulted in days of angry feelings.’: Woman urges ‘never stop trying to understand your partner, the kids are watching’
“I am so glad we had this argument over the milk cup. It wasn’t about the cup of milk.”
‘There’s nothing more we can do.’ I hit his chest to wake him up, screaming his name. My world turned upside down.’: Woman beats drug addiction after losing brother, ‘It is possible’
“When I woke up, I was starting to withdraw. I asked Anthony if he wanted one and he grunted. Because he was sick, I helped him shoot up. When I looked down, his eyes were rolled back into his head.”
‘You don’t deserve better than him.’ I saw texts with a girl we both knew. My thoughts ate me alive.’: Woman diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder shares mental health journey, urges others to ‘accept help’
“‘How could I let this happen to me?’ My family looked so hurt. My mother, holding back tears, and my father, who is one of the bravest people I know, both looked terrified. My thoughts were eating me alive.”