Amanda Bouchard is an editor and content curator for Love What Matters based in Connecticut. She is a magna cum laude graduate of The University of Rhode Island with a B.A. in Public Relations, with minors in Communications and Gender & Women’s Studies. She is passionate about adoption and foster care. She enjoys reading at the beach, concerts, or traveling to new and exciting places.
“There are many misconceptions about those who are chronically ill or disabled out there.”
“I am so proud of the young woman you have become. To know that you want to follow in even just a few of my footsteps is all I could ever ask for as your stepmom.”
“Thanksgiving stuffing is one of life’s simplest gifts. Something I can count on and look forward to. Because every year, it will bring me back to you.”
“Five beautiful children isn’t too shabby for a barren woman.”
“You will never understand the pain a loss mom is going through, but you can be there to support them.”
“I have fought and will continue to fight for people experiencing this disease.”
“Grief does not fade into the sunset as time goes on.”
“I did my best to blend in for years. I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers or damage the children in any way; I just wanted to be part of it! Until I didn’t anymore, and I had to redefine what my version of stepmotherhood looked like.”
“I was gasping for air, while lying in the grass, but I was sharply aware of the difference in the way I felt… powerful and incredibly proud. It dawned on me at that moment: I am more than my asthma and I have more control than I realize.”
“If you are the friend of someone who has lost a close loved one, I’m begging you to check in on them. Just because they’re able to ‘do life’ doesn’t mean they are magically healed.”
