“At some point during contractions, she decided she didn’t want to be pregnant anymore. She hit her stomach a few times. I came out with a broken shoulder, black and blue on one side of my body, and a large hematoma on my head.”
‘I was struggling to gasp for air, peeing blood. I heard doctors yell, ‘Code Blue!’: Former NFL cheerleader survives difficult childhood, daughter’s Angelman Syndrome diagnosis
‘The nurse approached me with a pitying look. ‘You won’t be receiving your treatment.’ I cried hot, silent, angry tears.’: Woman urges ‘live life to the fullest’ after brave battle with breast cancer
“My husband was about to leave for his weekend trip when he felt my forehead was scorching hot. I felt so cold and feverish. The next few hours were a fog. My treatments were deferred. I was too weak.”
‘She dressed up that 200-pound body. She bought it new clothes. Her confidence oozed out of her.’: Woman reflects on self love, ‘I am going to love myself without losing weight’
“Which was confusing because I weigh 200 lbs. I am not glowing. I am not treating myself as someone who should have a new wardrobe.”
‘We were cleaning out her desk and found two sealed envelopes. I ripped the bandaid off.’: Bereaved mom finds Valentine’s notes from late daughter, ‘Her heart was pure gold’
“I wasn’t ready to go through her room four days after her death. We opened them up and they were Valentine’s Day notes for Jordan and I from Kinsley. I haven’t had much to say. Those words from her were so powerful.”
‘She told me, ‘Find someone who loves you as much as I do.’ Raising children on your own is no easy task.’: Widower says ‘I will not look in the mirror one day and see a lonely old man staring back’
“I push my needs down to the bottom of the priority list. I beat down the fears with mantras like ‘one day,’ ‘when the kids are older,’ and ‘if it’s meant to happen.’ Raising children on your own is no easy task.”
‘It’s the worst possible time to have a child.’ The virus was expected to peak right on our due date.’: New parents welcome rainbow baby in the midst of global pandemic
“You try so hard for something and finally get it, only for a global pandemic to strike. Life certainly seems to have a sense of humor.”
‘He asked, ‘Can I stop by my high school?’ I pulled up to an empty parking lot. He just wanted a chance to say goodbye.’: Mom to senior says ‘you will always be remembered’
“As I sat in the car watching him slowly walk the lifeless grounds of his high school, my heart ached. I could see it in his eyes…all he really wanted was a chance to say goodbye. As a self-proclaimed ‘fixer,’ no matter what I do, I can’t fix this one.”
‘If you think you can get me to change this boundary, it’s not going to happen.’ Her face angry, she sulked off. I took a deep breath.’: Mom urges boundaries ‘protect us and others’
“‘This boundary will not move.’ She sulked off again. I figured we were in for another long day of boundary testing. This time, she came back after a bit.”
‘The midwife said, ‘You have to let her go.’ Her arms and legs moved around, as if she was searching for me.’: Couple lose baby due to missing DNA, ‘In her 50 minutes of life, we hope she knew nothing but love’
“I desperately wanted the pain and labor to end. However, I wasn’t ready for her to come out. I just wasn’t ready to let her go, for I knew it meant she would be leaving me. I remember half pushing and half trying to hold her back.”
‘During my daughter’s daily Zoom meeting, her classmate said, ‘I don’t like Chinese people because they started this quarantine.’: Asian-American mom urges ‘we are not the virus’
“What made it worse is that this person was one of her friends.”