“I found out I was pregnant. I was confused with shock and happiness, but I was so scared. How could someone like me, who can barely keep herself alive, care for someone else? I couldn’t even give myself nourishment, so how was this small baby supposed to get any? I had my first ultrasound, and everything was crystal clear. I was going to make this small dot live, no matter what. It wasn’t about me anymore. It was about this small being inside me that NEEDED me.”
“I remember standing on the edge of the bridge, thoughts racing through my mind over and over. I hope that these quotes just help that one person to not commit suicide and know that they are worthy of living.”
“I felt his words in the pit of my stomach. ‘Mom, I need help.'”
“Remember when your lady was pregnant? Vomiting up everything, feeling sick from the smell of meat… remember how she was exhausted? How she felt like a turtle who was stuck on her back and couldn’t get up?”
“He could have ignored him. He could have made an excuse. Instead, he let him have his moment, and in turn, gave my family a moment we will never forget.”
“After my wife’s death, I got so many cards, letters, texts. But this one stopped me cold. The name brought a story so heavy, so dark, it was hard to believe she actually lived it. Knowing her story, you’d expect this sad, fearful person. It didn’t take me long to realize she was anything but. She was a beautiful girl with beautiful scars. And, suddenly, I wasn’t alone. The connection was effortless, natural, and deep. She gave me hope.”
“The thought of removing such a major organ, my healthy stomach, sent shivers down my spine. Now I had a reason to go ahead and do it. I didn’t have to pull the trigger on my own gut.”
“I remember sitting in that jail cell crying my eyes out, thinking my daughter, who was 9 at the time, would be in her 20’s before I saw her again. That was my true rock bottom. I can’t even begin to describe to you the utter defeat and sadness I felt that day.”
“The doctor comes in. ‘Can I speak with you in private?’ I feel on the verge of a panic attack, but I simply smile and follow her to the nurse’s station. ‘So, what do you feel is going on?’ I explain the events of the phone call from school. She says, ‘We have no choice but to admit your daughter. She has a clear plan to commit suicide.’ My stomach is in knots.”
“Bringing home, a newborn for the first time was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I had never been more exhausted, more worried, more emotional or lonely in my life.”
