Rebecca Balfe is a former editor for Love What Matters. She resides in NYC, owning and rescuing adorable cats. She is an avid Lupus fighter and advocate.
‘Our boys thought they were seeing their new sister. The birth mama kept her. Their hearts sank, and our 5-year-old broke down.’: Couple adopts twins after disrupted adoptions, ‘They’re our miracles’’
“The day our babies were supposed to be born came and went with no news from our birth mama. Then another day, a week, two weeks. Our birth mother had gone silent.”
‘It’s going to be rough, PLEASE don’t let him remember.’ My bike flew into the air. Part of my skull was gone.’: Man recovers from horrible accident, ‘The love of strangers overwhelmed me’
“There was a speeding car behind me. I don’t have any memory of it. People from around the world started messaging my parents, letting them know they were praying for me. Tears streamed from my eyes.”
‘Molly…’ My husband looked me dead in the eye. ‘We need to talk.’ Shaking, he told me the painful truth no one in a monogamous relationship wants to hear.’: Divorcee urges ‘listen to your heart’
“I sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. ‘Say something, please…’ he begged. After several minutes, all I could manage to mutter was, ‘Well, I guess now we finally have an excuse to get a divorce.’ Within 2 weeks, I watched my dreams of building a life and a family disappear in front of my eyes.”
‘I think it’s best to move them into a 2-parent home.’ I had failed. They were concerned I wasn’t committed to their care.’: Single mom of 5 shares adoption journey, ‘These girls are my world’
“I got the call. ‘Can you take in your adopted daughter’s biological sister who has just been born?’ I hid in the bathroom and just cried. I sobbed to the CPS worker: ‘I know what my answer needs to be, but it’s going to be so hard!'”
‘Days after were apocalyptic. People killed family members over food. It was 100 degrees and we had no electricity, no water.’: Man recounts the horror of being a ‘Hurricane Katrina refugee’
“I was able to charge my cellphone and turn it on. When I did, I was flooded with voicemails. Earlier that day, the levees broke. Water inundated the city. Parts of the city were on fire. People were drowning. It seemed like New Orleans had fallen.”
‘PLEASE take her with you. I can’t watch her go through this.’ She vomited and lost weight. We watched helplessly.’: Parents of special needs daughter forced to leave US, ‘We hold on to hope’
“Her medical team was alarmed and upset. ‘You CAN’T leave. She needs to be here. I’ll write to whomever I need to for her to stay.’ We watched as she regressed.”
‘Doctors swarmed around in panic. We got a diagnosis for both twins. Then, their life-saving appointment was canceled.’: Twins battle eye cancer together, ‘They’re so brave!’
“We got a trip to Disney for their battle against cancer. When we returned home, they got sick, very sick. ‘Haven’t we been through enough?’ I cried. Their doctor appointment was canceled indefinitely. We were told to wait by the phone. I panicked while they suffered.”
‘Please end his suffering.’ The universe heard me wrong. He was only 8. Now one was sick and the other, gone.’: After losing son, mom teaches others how grief can lead to empowerment
“‘Please put an end to his pain. He had over 300 seizures. My husband shouted, ‘There has been an accident!’ A phone call confirmed a mother’s worst nightmare.”
‘I asked, ‘Do you trust me to raise our children?’ Loving them isn’t enough. It’s not the same as their dad’s understanding.’: Mom discusses challenges with mixed family, ‘I am their ally’
“Is love enough? Is it enough that I love them more than life? I’ve so desperately wanted the answer to be yes. As much as I can tell them it’s going to be okay, it’s not the same.”
‘My little girl asked, ‘Daddy, what’s a wawwy?’ ‘A rally?’ She nodded. I knew I wouldn’t be that kind of father.’: Gay dad of 3 multi-racial children teaches ‘our differences make us beautiful’
“Growing up in south Mississippi, I was able to easily see how my own father was the most racist and hateful person I had ever met. As I got older, he would call me sissy, mama’s boy, and queer. That was bad enough, but the things I can recall him saying towards black Americans were just as bad, if not worse.”