“I remember thinking how strange it was that parents who lived in rich, powerful neighborhoods with top-rated schools felt the need to pull their special needs child out and home school. It made no sense. Until it happened to me.”
‘The school district took the very blunt stance, ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ Special education is under attack with little pushback.’: Special needs mom urges ‘we must draw a line in the sand’
‘I married a man who knows how to love a mother. He prayed over me and our babes even before we knew our first child’s name.’: Woman tells husband ‘thank you for loving us so well’
“He’s coached me through my hardest days. He’s cheered me on through labor pains. For all the shared chores, for all the date nights we keep. For all the kids’ giggles, being my best friend, and supporting me every day. My life is so much better.”
‘I remember crying, ‘I feel like I’m the only person in the world without friends.’ There I was, 24 years old without my tribe. Life hit a total reset.’: Woman urges ‘you will find your people’
“There is nothing wrong with you, my love. But there is everything you have yet to still give to the world. I promise, one day, you will find your people.”
‘I rolled my eyes. ‘You’re the sickest patient on the whole Labor & Delivery floor.’ I was dying right before their eyes.’: Woman births miracle baby with limb difference after near-death molar pregnancy
“15 weeks pregnant, my OB left a voicemail. Something was different in her voice. ‘It’s questionable you’ll make it through surgery alive.’ I was carrying an undetected twin. I had two options: die or let one of my twins die.”
‘Something’s wrong.’ She’d stop breathing. We’d have a blue baby in our arms. The whirlwind had just begun.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Gould Syndrome, ‘She lives a joy-filled life’
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
‘My name is Jeff. Tell me exactly what happened.’ His voice changed, his tone dripping in comfort. He guided me through the biggest crisis I’ve ever experienced.’: Widow thanks ‘hero’ dispatcher, ‘Kindness is free’
“I told my husband, ‘I can’t do it anymore. I have to call.’ The tumors were everywhere. He looked me straight in the face and said, ‘I will never forgive you.’ I was on the verge of a breakdown. We do not think of dispatchers as heroes, but that night, Jeff was mine.”
‘’Will you ask her to marry you?’ My dress was overnighted. Mom helped dad into his suit. I choked on tears.’: Woman creates father-daughter dance before dad’s passing, ‘He always chose joy’
“My nails weren’t painted and I curled my hair myself in between wiping away the endless stream of tears. It wasn’t staged or super fancy. It was a dad doing what he always did best: sweeping his girl off her feet one last time.”
‘Your baby is gone.’ She placed her hand on my leg with a soft touch. The lump in my throat turned into a loud moan.’: Mom says ‘9 weeks is all I had with her, but she will be forever in our lives’
“She asked me to lay back. ‘Hold on,’ I said, ‘Let me grab my phone so I can record this for my husband.’ I settled in, hit the record button. I knew pretty quickly that something was off. I could feel the tennis ball size lump rising in my throat.”
‘I caught sight of her coat hanging off the banister, waiting to be picked up and worn again. I couldn’t hold it together. She didn’t know it was the last time.’: Woman urges ‘hold on to each moment before it’s a memory’
“I was composed when I received the message she had passed, and when the doctor came to verify her death. I was composed when I kissed her forehead for the last time. It was only as we were getting ready to leave her house, that the silliest thing got to me.”
‘My student from 10 years ago messaged me. ‘Miss Silva, I’m applying for my Doctorate and Master’s Degree.’ I cried.’: Teacher urges ‘he is much more than the color many cannot see past’
“In a world that told him he would not amount to much because he was a black boy, he kept going. In a society that told him he was not worth much because he had dreadlocks and wore his pants a bit low, he kept going. He defied the odds, and then he crushed them.”