“When the likelihood of longevity of life got taken away from me, I realized how much I was wasting precious time and energy. How much I was wasting time worrying about what people thought of me and obsessing over every day problems.”
I Am Living With Incurable Breast Cancer, But I Have Never Felt More Alive
‘Moments of fear take my breath away, but they don’t need to steal my hope.’: Mom to boys with incurable disease shares how she maintains hope
“Without warning, one thought appeared like a movie scene, and it instantly knocked the wind out of me. It was my son’s room… with an empty bed and dusty furniture. I broke down sobbing until I could barely drive.”
‘I have deep scars all over. Most are not visible, but they’re there.’: Mom shares journey to embracing emotional scars
“I’ve seen trauma, tears, and sorrow on this path, but I’ve also seen beautiful scenery along the way. Without the bumps in the road, we wouldn’t cherish the good days like we do now.”
‘I don’t need to run on fumes. I need to recognize I’m human and ask for help.’: Special needs mom shares son’s sweet reminder after rough day
“‘Anything you want to thank God for?’ Without even a whisper, he simply looked up at me and pointed. ‘Me? You want to thank God for me?’ He nodded with a sweet smile. He wanted to thank God for me. The one who thought she was an utter failure of a mom that day.”
‘Wait! It’s on us today.’: Mom to medically-complex children shares acts of kindness that changed her life
“One kind act can change someone’s entire day. One considerate thing can shift someone’s perspective on life. So be kind, be loving, and be present.”
‘How can I be an advocate one day and a sobbing mess the next? The ups and downs were exhausting.’: Mom of boys with rare degenerative disease says ‘it’s OK to not be OK all the time’
“It’s only through the hard days that I get stronger. It’s only after those long, painful sobs that my tears turn to courage. It’s only after I wallow in the valley of sorrow that I’m able to find the strength to climb back up that mountain and choose joy again.”
‘I didn’t like the idea of not having a womb. Suddenly the very thing that had caused me so much agony was a symbol of my femininity.’: Woman battles through Adenomyosis leading to a hysterectomy
“My mother was convinced I had the same condition she had called Endometriosis. She kept taking me back to the doctor and pushing for more investigations. Each time the doctor would dismiss us both, treating her as the overbearing mother and me as the attention-seeking teenage girl.”
Multiple Sclerosis Stole My Wife’s Ability To Walk, So I Built Her A Rickshaw
“One of our favorite things to do was go on long walks. I made up my mind I would do everything in my power to make her life as normal as possible. As long as my legs are still strong enough to walk, Jan and I will still have those long walks in the woods. Where there is will, there is always a way.”
‘A nurse told me his arm was swollen. I prayed a thousand times for the chance to be this little boy’s mom.’: First-time parents navigate newborn’s cancer diagnosis
“They told us, ‘The tumor is growing all around and between the bones, resulting in the bones being separated.’ It would be impossible to remove all of the tumor and leave behind a functioning arm. The best treatment would be amputation and chemotherapy.”
‘Give it time. You’re a first-time mom, be patient.’ When I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did.’: Teen mom advocates for medically complex son while battling heart problems, ‘Faith never fails’
“I was told if I was to do a heart transplant, it would only give me 20 years to live. I can’t have that for my son; I want to be able to spend time with him.”