“We started the adoption process for Haiti. However, 8,960 miles away, in Ho Chi Minh City, our daughter was being conceived. I saw her yellow sun dress, punk rocker hair sticking out all over her head, and a sassy look on her face that said ‘bring it on’ the world around her. It clicked. ‘Her.’ I didn’t even realize I was holding my breathe.”
‘What do we do?’ I asked, tears in my eyes. My husband knew what I meant. ‘We’re bringing an orphan home.’: Couple adopt ‘fearless’ Vietnamese daughter with limb difference, paints ‘masterpieces’ without arms
‘They’re a burden to society. You’ve got a lot of nerve spending time with them.’ I didn’t understand how others thought this way.’: Woman ‘dedicates life’ to helping those with Down syndrome
“No one told me my cousin had special needs. I had no clue how hard life would be for him and how cruel people could be. People stared, felt ashamed of his presence. I was struggling to understand why it was so difficult for my peers to treat all people like…well, people. My Down syndrome friends taught me how to be myself, and how to love.”
‘I met my husband at 16, got pregnant at 17. He told me he was ‘different’ than all the other teen dads.’: Young mom overcomes ‘the ugly’ in her life, urges us to ‘put mental health first’
“My mental health took a turn for the worst. I found myself not wanting to clean, cook, or shower. I barely wanted to be a mom. Noah and I began arguing. One day, I spread a bottle of pills all over my bed and my mom walked in. I was forced to go to the hospital and get help. I just wanted to go back to being the person I was.”
Student Surprised With Care Package After Being Bullied For Making His Own Shirt
“So, when the day finally arrived, he was SO EXCITED to show me his shirt. I was impressed that he took it one step further to make his own label. After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on his desk, and started crying.”
‘My sister and I are polar opposites. I’m Wednesday Adams. She’s Malibu Barbie.’: Woman shares striking contrasts with sibling, reminds us all to ‘accept and respect difference’
“Spirituality drives her, and I’m an atheist. She’s a meat eater, and I’m a vegetarian. While she dresses in beautiful rainbow and embraces her body no matter its size, I hide behind dark colors because it’s my comfort zone. We may bicker and think differently, but despite our differences, we love each other. She’s my role model, and I feel so fortunate to have her as a sister. Her smile can light an entire room.”
‘I lost my 3-year-old, autistic son at the worst place possible: a water park.’: Mom loses toddler in public scare, says it ‘takes a village’ to ‘save a child’
“He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead, turned a corner, and was gone. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. I dove in and couldn’t find him. I wish I could say I was distracted by my phone, or talking to a friend, but my eyes never left his body. And yet, he is fast, and he was gone. Guilt has kept me awake every night since.”
‘I want to live in my parents’ basement with 13 kids and no husband,’ said 3-year-old me. One part is true. Babies, and lots of ‘em!’: Woman shares emotional battle with Endometriosis, knows she’ll someday ‘be a mama’
“I dreamt of the day I’d turn in my baby dolls for the real deal. Fast forward 23 years, and here I am. Married to the man of my dreams. Our home is full, but our arms empty. We wanted the big family, sleepless nights, poopy diapers. We wanted it. So, we tried. And tried. After 6 months of negative tests, I knew something was off. They found 2 masses on my ovaries the size of a lemon and a golf ball.”
‘Mom, we found the note you left. It hurt. Only because I wanted nothing more than the same.’: Daughter’s emotional goodbye to her addict mother, says she ‘never doubted your love for me’
“Growing up, we watched our mom struggle with her drug addiction. We were many times abandoned, left to fend for ourselves. But as a child, I didn’t see that. I saw a mom that made 4 different meals for dinner, a mom that rubbed our back and sang us ‘Delta Dawn’ when we couldn’t fall asleep. A mom that had no money, but dumpster-dived to find us the exact present we wanted for Christmas. She never was perfect, but she was my mom and I loved her.”
‘Please, when I wake up, change me into a boy.’ I’d make deals with God and wake up excited. Nothing changed.’: Transgender man finally ‘at peace,’ loves who he sees ‘looking back in the mirror’
“Growing up, there was this football field behind my house. I’d go there and lie down in the middle of the it, looking up at the sky and begging God to strike me with a lightning bolt. And just change me. Change my body. Every day I did this, and woke up sobbing. I didn’t have a word for how I felt. I knew I was attracted to women. But I also knew I felt like a boy trapped in a girl’s body.”
‘This morning, your son died. You stare at the ceiling, hoping your nightmare will be over. I know.’: Mom pens haunting letter to her ‘past self’ warning of grief she’s about to endure
“Right now it feels hopeless. As you hold your lifeless baby in your arms, you’re silently pleading for a miracle you know won’t come. You’re aching, screaming inside. Every tear that falls on his still face feels like a piece of your soul trying to seep life back into him. Every breath you take feels like betrayal. How can you, when he is not. I know.”