“While at the game, an older gentleman came up to me and was hitting on me, creeping me out. Then I saw him. We chatted and he let me sit with him and his friends, ‘saving’ me from the creepy man.”
‘He wasn’t so sure this was for him. Late in the pregnancy, they told her there was a chance the baby girl could have it. Deep in my heart, I already knew.’
‘Please come pick up your son. He isn’t a good fit.’ He was there 3 hours before we got the call.’
“A good fit. I’ve rolled the words over and over again in my mind. In a matter of one conversation over lunchtime, they determined him ‘unfit’ and ‘too much’ for their school.”
‘She will probably never walk, but hey, these types of kids are always happy.’ Happy? I grieved for the daughter I thought I was going to bring home.’
“How was I going to be able to take care of my daughter? I wasn’t ‘special,’ I had no idea what to do! The doctor never even touched her. I realized my daughter was put in a box. A box of old school thinking and treatment.”
‘Your technician Robert came to our home. He walked into a mess. My son was born with two rare brain defects and is blind. Today has been rough for him.’: Mom thanks stranger for his compassion towards son with special needs
“When Robert walked in, Sailor ran to him and reached up. Robert didn’t seem bothered at all and, instead, held my son for the whole 45 minutes he was in our home. He could have walked in, rushed, and left, but instead he saw a need greater than internet and met it.”
‘Started class with this chart today and I’m so glad I did. It’s easy to misinterpret behavior and its cause.’: Teacher takes time for daily check-in with students
“Students wrote their name on the back of a sticky note and then placed it in the row that most accurately aligns with how they’re feeling right now.”
‘He went out on the lake. But something happened. He was gone. My Andy was missing for 3 weeks. He wasn’t found until an ice fisherman dropped his camera onto my husband’s foot.’
“To my dismay, I was selected as the Designated Driver. I also had to play the role of containing my husband from leaving me – to join the band. My Andy was an introvert to most, but not on this night in question. He had consumed several adult beverages.”
‘We hugged her. Then, we received a text. When we pushed the door open, all I heard was, ‘We have a situation.’ My heart sank. I knew what those words meant.’
“We secretly prepared for the baby. We received the call we had been waiting for. Baby was born. It was time to head to the hospital. If I’m being honest, I was sick to stomach thinking about what the next few hours might look like.”
‘I noticed Ellie had a cough. Then everything got scary really fast. All the blood in my head rushed to my feet. I caused my child’s illness.’: Daughter fights for her life after RSV diagnosis causes seizure
“I knew it was serious, so I finally broke down and called my mom. I told her I was in the ambulance and I didn’t think Ellie would make it. She told me she woke up around 3:00 a.m. and started praying because she felt something was wrong.”
‘My wife is now carrying our 8th child, our 8th loss. Everything inside me is twisted with pain.’: Husband mourns as ‘strong, courageous’ wife suffers 8th miscarriage
“I can’t think about the gravity of this situation. Don’t cry in front of all these strangers. Our parents will arrive soon, then the doctor will tell me to come back and see my wife as she wakes up. I’ll look at her and have that tangled up emotion of grief and gratitude. She’ll show her strength like she always does, even though she’s hopped up on meds and just went through one of the most traumatic things ever.”
‘My mother aggressively combed my curls with a plastic fine-toothed comb. It was painful. If I protested or uttered a sound, Mother would punch me on the head and rake the comb harder.’: Young woman survives narcissistic abusive mom
“The comb would make a dry, raking noise. Clumps of hair were ripped off my scalp. I tried not to react. If I winced of moved, Mother would just do it harder. She was careful to only do it behind closed doors.”