“He started wearing his winter coat throughout the day and complained he was cold. I noticed he had some swelling on his privates. In my gut, I had a bad feeling something just wasn’t right.”
‘I don’t want to die.’ Tears ran down his face as he held his little brother’s hand. I want to take away his pain.’: Mom says 7-year-old son with rare cancer is ‘a force to be reckoned with’
‘This man, alone and smiling, set up a home office with the tide coming in. ‘Why would he do that? He can’t stay there indefinitely.’: Divorcee thanks ‘mystery man’ for teaching life lesson, ‘It all matters’
“And then I checked myself. This mystery man on the beach reminded me it all counts, it all matters.”
‘I noticed an abandoned cart with a giant teddy. I stood, weighing my options. I snatched it out quickly and powerwalked to checkout.’: Mom to son with autism shares advice to younger self, ‘It wasn’t her fault’
“Now, listen, I am not a thief… really, I am not. But you see, I needed that bear. I needed this to be the best gift ever. If you are reading this and you had a teddy bear stolen I am sorry.”
‘If you withdraw care now, it’ll be easier to say goodbye.’ That’s not how love works. The looks of pity deepened.’: Mom births baby with Hypoxic Encephalopathy, ‘We never gave up hope’
“I sped to the house and scooped up her purple lipped, shivering body, then dropped to the floor and set her on top of my chest. We had to be on our top game 24 hours a day because if we slacked, she’d die. Discussions of death were as common as, ‘Hey, I emptied the dishwasher.’”
‘As I closed your bedroom door, I felt a whisper over my heart. ‘It’s not going to be like this for long. This is the most he’ll ever need his mama.’: Mom urges ‘hold on, soon you’ll have to let go’
“Today was hard. You woke up angry. ‘Want my mommy,’ was said more times than I could count. You were attached to my leg, pushing and shoving and prodding. By the end of the day, I had enough. But as I closed your bedroom door, I felt a whisper over my heart. ‘It’s not going to be like this for long.’ Soon, everything will change. Soon, I’m going to have to start letting you go, little by little.”
‘They don’t deserve a dad who’s grumpy and frustrated before the day has begun. Don’t let your grown-up stress steal their childhood innocence.’: Man shares candid reality of being a stay-at-home dad
“It’s day 2 as a stay-at-home dad and I’ve already lost it. Actually, I lost it at day 1.5. I’m not cut out for this.”
‘They didn’t want us to ‘infect’ other couples. ‘You aren’t paying attention to directions.’ I fought not to scream.’: Woman endures multiple miscarriages, ‘This body did the best it could’
“It took every fiber of my being not to scream when it started, not to break down. They messed up and didn’t get everything. Other than my husband, no one knew.”
‘Dad, a surprise is coming your way.’ He’d been struggling with cancer. We got the news: ‘You can no longer have chemo treatments.’ I wanted to lift his spirits.’: Strangers show act of kindness for veteran battling cancer
“These men, strangers just a few minutes prior, went above and beyond. I’ll never forget the look on his face.”
‘This won’t change his love for you.’ I was deep in wedding planning. They MUST have the wrong person.’: Woman diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis travels world, ‘Fear doesn’t control me’
“Dizzy and still very much half-deaf, she insisted I see her doctor. ‘That can’t be MY brain.’ No one could agree on what was happening to my body. I felt cheated.”
‘Mommy, I done. I done, I so tired!’ ‘Should we stop compressions?’ I pleaded with them. They wrapped her in a blanket, let us say goodbye.’: Mom loses daughter to flu, ‘This is an unbearable situation no family should face’
“She asked, ‘Where’s my mommy?’ I was standing right beside her. She had a confused look, her pulse was RACING. I took Ayzlee to the ER thinking she was just dehydrated and needed fluids. ‘This will be a quick trip.’ We’d all had our flu shots. Never in a million years did I think my beautiful, healthy 3-year-old would be fighting for her life.”