“I remember telling Michael with 100% conviction, ‘Our family is complete, and I can no longer consider adopting.’ I did not know how I could cope with a child with DS, and the idea of adding another child seemed impossible. Then, I saw his picture.”
‘Our family’s complete.’ Adding another child seemed impossible. Thanks to Jude, my heart changed.’: Mom both births and adopts sons with Down syndrome, ‘They were meant to be brothers’
‘Tomorrow, your foot won’t be there.’ It looked like it went through a garbage disposal. I was devastated.’: Amputee shares self-acceptance journey, ‘Being different should be EMBRACED’
“I looked down at my foot. ‘They’re just gonna chop it off? That’s cool.’ At 5 years old, I learned a life lesson many people struggle with into adulthood: self-acceptance.”
‘I told myself, ‘It won’t last forever.’ I was self-conscious about my looks. It was holding me back.’: Woman with Treacher Collins Syndrome says ‘I choose to feel nothing but empowered’
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
‘It’s bad, and it’s everywhere. There’s too much to take out.’ I fell into his arms. We fought through the grief to stay one.’: Couple battling infertility adopts two sons, ‘We see perfection’
“I lived with a Fentanyl patch, which barely touched the pain. My uterus was sitting on my pelvic floor and had compromised my bladder. Our dream of two or three children became a hope we could just get ONE.”
‘Will he live a normal life?’ There was silence. All I could think of were the things he WOULDN’T be able to do.’: Autism mom shares son’s diagnosis journey, ‘It is NOT an illness’
“At his 18-month appointment, the red flags were noted. He still had no words. ‘This is it. The life I thought I was going to have is over.’ Would he ever speak? Would he have the life I dreamed of him having?”
‘How can we take on another?’ We knew nothing. Just that this little girl needed a home and we had one.’: Couple become parents to 8 after adoption, miracle pregnancies
“My husband only wanted one. I picked him up from class to surprise him with an extra kiddo. We had 15 miscarriages and a long road to each of our kids. But it’s been worth all the pain.”
‘We’ve been robbed. All our stuff is gone.’ This only cemented it for us. Material possessions AREN’T important.’: Couple ‘hit the road’ in van, ‘It’s been the ride of a lifetime’
“We threw the idea around for a few weeks. ’It’s always been my dream to leave it all behind.’ I mean, we had just met. That would be crazy, right? But we did it. We bought a VAN!”
‘If I get deployed, do you want to get married?’ I was married to the military. I was constantly lost, never sure what would happen next.’: Military spouse encourages ‘love your own dreams again’
“I was alone for 6 months. Nick was in the military and I wasn’t prepared. You love him, but you’ve both changed. ‘What is wrong with us?’ It hit me. I didn’t need to give up my own dreams to be a military spouse.”
‘Why not have your OWN kid first?’ He’s JUST as much ‘our own’ as any biological child. He crushes every ‘impossible’ goal.’: Family adopts son with autism, ‘It’s better than we dreamed’
“They told us, ‘He may never speak full sentences or want to leave the house.’ His smile lit up the room. We pushed him to be the BEST he could be.”
‘Why didn’t your REAL mom keep you?’ I arrived at the orphanage basically dying. I’m grateful for her sacrifice.’: Transracial adoptee shares journey, ‘Love is so much more than DNA’
“She made a difficult decision. I was severely malnourished, with bowed legs, and developmentally delayed. I lost my family AND my country. It’s traumatic.”