“We are mamas, and we are meant to forget.”
‘We forget what it is to go into labor. To be wracked with pain so excruciating we can’t fathom ever withstanding it. A mama is meant to forget.’
‘It took us a second to realize this firefighter was walking the flights of stairs as all the firefighters did on 9/11. Things like this make you stop and think.’: Firefighter honors fallen brothers by reenacting their steps
This year, 17 years after the fatal attacks, the tradition continues. Never forget.
‘I saw a tower had been hit. I opened the curtain and saw the smoke over lower Manhattan.’: Man credits random encounter with ‘lifelong best friend’ for saving his life on September 11
“When I woke up, I heard the shower going. Then I heard someone leave the apartment. I rushed to Mike and Elena’s bedroom and hollered for him. No response, so I kept hollering, ‘Mike, Mike are you in there?’ Moments later, his tower was hit.”
‘I had a dream you’re getting a baby,’ a lady texted. I looked at my husband, tearful and angry. ‘That’s just MEAN. Doesn’t she know how long we’ve been trying?!’: Woman surprised with pregnancy after ‘6 long years’ of trying
“When my son was two months old, my life took a turn I never expected. I bent down to pick my baby up and felt something snap. I dropped him in his crib and couldn’t move. I called my doctor and said, ‘Something isn’t right.'”
‘There I was, 17 and 34 weeks pregnant, learning my daughter had a huge tumor in her brain and was going to die.’: Teen pregnant with daughter receives terminal brain cancer diagnosis days before delivery
“I had no time to digest this news, no time to research, no time to prepare. I went into early labor and delivered my daughter days later. More doctors, more scans, more blood work, all to be told my week-old daughter had stage III brain cancer. Terminal. ‘You can expect her to die soon.’ What was supposed to be the happiest few days of my life were the most painful and traumatic moments I’ll ever experience.”
‘Look at my hand!’ Our son rushed over in panic. I became unglued with my realization. CITRUS BURNS.’: Mom warns of citrus burn danger after prolonged sun exposure
“We went to Disneyland this week, and my son got 2nd degree burns on his hand and tummy. It was not from Disneyland, but it happened from being in the sun for long periods of time. 2nd degree burns. His hand is so swollen he can’t close it or use it.”
‘This is miscarriage. The belly that still looks bloated and pregnant, but isn’t. The headaches and cramps still left over from hormones that haven’t yet gotten the memo.’
“The waiting room where now 6 times I have had to embarrassingly walk by other waiting patients, puffy, red and with mascara dripping down my cheeks.”
No, You’re Not A Bad Mom For Getting A C-Section
“Let me tell you all the things NOT to say to a mom about to have a C-section.”
‘She is 5, her curls draped around her cheeks. As she straightens her crown, she finds the reflection of her gray hair and sad eyes staring back at her. She is dressing for her fourth funeral this year.’
“Looking at her reflection she is forced to blink to see clearly. Her gray hair is set in curlers. She is thinking about all the friends and family she has outlived. She considers bending down to fix her knee-high stocking, but instead, sighs deeply.
‘This time last year, I wrote a suicide note. I hated myself and believed I was better off dead than being ‘gay.’’
“I remember laying in my bed, crying, and asking God why He would make me if He was going to send me to Hell.”