Posts by: Colin Balfe

Colin Balfe is the Founder and Chief Content Officer of Love What Matters. Colin was inspired to start Love What Matters after his mother passed from Ovarian cancer. Through his grieving process, he saw the need to connect a like minded community around a deeply personal storytelling platform. He's proudest of the communities within LWM, strangers united by powerful and impactful experiences, underserved people connecting around mutual challenges, hopes and dreams. These communities include Adoption, Mental Health, Infertility, Addiction, Grief, Special Needs Parenting, LGBTQ+ and many more.

‘My spouse is a hoarder. In our old house, we had a shed that was his, and his alone. I didn’t dare go in his ‘man cave.’ Now, his hoarding skills have made him a hero.’: Wife recounts how hoarding husband turns to hero

“One of the things he insisted on keeping were a couple boxes of masks. MASKS. Not just any mask, but military-grade, N-95 masks. His brother had given the masks to family members after saving them from a surplus sale at Camp Williams in Utah. There were thousands.”

Colin Balfe - Mar 23, 2020

Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now

Politicians, Community Leaders and Business Leaders: What Should You Do and When?

Colin Balfe - Mar 11, 2020

‘A text from my husband came in. ‘I’m not happy. I want more. If you’re coming home, I won’t be here.’: Woman finds ‘new version of happiness’ after husband’s abandonment

“I pulled into a Dunkin Donuts parking lot and tried to call him. His phone was off. When I made it home, nothing was out of place. Except my husband was gone. Large bar tabs appeared on our statements. Girls’ phone numbers came up on our records. The following week, he agreed to meet me at the park. ‘I want a divorce.’ He was cold, emotionless. I refused, which made him angry. I obsessed looking for something that may have led to this. Some sort of sign. He offered no explanation.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 29, 2020

‘What’s wrong with me?’ I burst into tears. My ovaries were that of a 40-year-old. I longed so desperately to make my sweet girl a big sister.’: Mom births baby with epilepsy, autism, then miracle baby after battling endometriosis

“Our thoughts of having a second child were buried under years of trauma. Until one day. ‘Kylee, I want a baby.’ That sparked something inside me I never thought would happen again. 4 days after my transfer, I took a pregnancy test expecting nothing. There was a very faint second line. ‘This has to be a fluke.’ My heart began racing. A different kind of panic ensued.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 20, 2020

‘I knew FA was present, but I refused to acknowledge it — to protect my heart and my free spirit.’: After years of denial, woman embraces mobility aid and life with a rare genetic disease

“I never talked about FA with friends, classmates, or professors. I exhausted myself doing so much walking around campus, attempting to keep up and pretend everything was ok. I had tunnel vision; walking on my own was all I cared about… until I had no choice.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 17, 2020

‘I gasped for breath. ‘I…read…your texts!’ I could barely get the words out. I was hyperventilating.’: Women re-discovers herself after husband’s affair and ensuing divorce

“I saw the pictures and read the words, but my brain couldn’t understand. My arms were tingling. Alarm bells were ringing in my head. ‘What? Why was this woman, his assistant, texting this to him?’ I slumped to the bathroom floor, then shakily stood and made my way down the stairs, using the handrail to prop me up.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 17, 2020

‘What if Matthew doesn’t come home this time?’ I watch him struggle to breathe. I gasp for air, screaming as my mother holds my shaking body.’: Sister advocates for brother battling Cystic Fibrosis, ‘I will stand beside him in this fight, forever’

“My tears soak the sleeve of her sweatshirt. A sharp, strong pain runs through my chest. For the past 19 years, I have watched him swallow hundreds of thousands of pills. ‘What if Matthew gets sicker? How much time does he have?’ I finally decided I was tired of watching. Life gave me the greatest gift of all: a brother. I will stand hand-in-hand beside him in this fight.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 16, 2020

‘Today, reality hit me straight in the face. It hit me by a 6-year-old holding a box of Ziplocs.’: Teacher receives special gift from student, re-examines idea of ‘success’

“Want me to be honest? Today was rough. I don’t cry and I cried 5 times today. I was ready to crawl in a daggum hole.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 15, 2020

‘Be back in the morning, mom.’ He smiled. At 2 a.m. I awoke to police at my door. My beautiful son had been shot multiple times.’: Mom loses son to stranger’s act of violence, ‘I will live more fiercely for him’

“When she finished my transaction at the bank, she said, ‘I want to thank you for your energy and smile today. I wasn’t feeling very happy, but you raised my spirits.’ The tears came back again. It wasn’t me at all, but my beautiful son who had caused it. That night, we ate a meal together and he left to go out with friends. My daughter and I walked him to the door. On June 22, I saw his smiling face for the last time.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 13, 2020

‘We had five miscarriages, back to back to back. I just felt peace we WOULD have another baby.’: Couple has rainbow baby after church prayer and fast

“About a week and a half after the church fast, I got the shock of ALL shocks — another positive pregnancy test. ‘It looks like you got pregnant sometime between January 13-15th.’ The EXACT DAYS of the fast.”

Colin Balfe - Jan 08, 2020

Colin Balfe