“All of them have different personalities, perspectives, opinions, feelings. Most of the time, things get quite messy and chaotic.”
‘I have over 1,000 people living in my body, all with different personalities.’: Person with Dissociative Identity Disorder seeks to educate others
‘Newborn girl, two days old. You’ve been chosen!’ We prepared for another heartbreak. Would this end the way it had before?’: Couple adopts after scam and disruption, ‘She was worth every part of our story’
“She placed her baby in Eric’s arms. I’ll never forget watching him fall in love with that tiny, 5-pound newborn. 4 hours later, we were asked to go home. After years of waiting, we were offered a gift.”
‘I woke up one day with a burning sensation in my arm. ‘You brought this on yourself with stress.’ I wasn’t convinced.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis urges ‘keep pushing for answers’
“It was clear people expected me to look different. ‘You’re too young to be diagnosed.’ I was handed a folder with my brain scans for ‘peace of mind.’”
‘DON’T let it hurt him like it did your brother.’ I can still smell the hospital and hear him cry. My son would be SUCCESSFUL.’: Sister of brother with autism becomes single mom to special needs son
“I had a front-row seat to how the world treated my brother. I knew how cruel the system could be. He was constantly told he could not achieve his goals and desires, but he told the world, ‘Just watch me.’”
‘Do you want to meet my daughter?’ That night, he showed up with flowers in one hand and diapers in the other.’: Stepdad adopts wife’s daughter, ‘I’ll love her as my own for the rest of my life’
“We realized Mia was losing weight every time she’d visit her biological dad. She’d come back in a dirty diaper, unbathed, and in smelly clothes. Then we got a call we never saw coming.”
‘He’s out of control. You didn’t discipline him and now it’s too late.’ I bought into what everyone else was saying.’: Mom urges ‘special needs behavior cannot be fixed with traditional discipline’
“Each time I tried disciplining my child the way society screamed at me that I should, my child broke down.”
‘If he leaves one day, will he remember me?’ I’m not a babysitter or a caregiver. I’m a MOTHER.’: Foster mom reflects on journey, ‘I wouldn’t trade it for anything’
“It was Mother’s Day, and I thought, ‘Do I DESERVE to be celebrated today? Do I count as a mother?’ There is an uncertainty and lack of self-validation that you are, in fact, a mother.”
‘I got a message: ‘Thanks for the work you do.’ I didn’t think much of it, but two lives were forever changed.’: Woman starts company to help other divorcees, ‘You’re never too old for love’
“I received THOUSANDS of emails from divorcees who wanted to share their story or ask for help. I decided to stop dating and use all my time and energy for helping others. In doing so, I received the call that changed my life.”
‘You’re a LIAR. Suck it up!’ I was in the fetal position on the floor, SCREAMING.’: Chronic illness warrior talks health, support system, ‘Keep fighting and listen to your body’
“They saw me lying on the floor and rolled their eyes. They never asked if I was okay. I spent most of my time at work in the bathroom screaming and crying, not knowing what was going on.”
‘Crying was NOT associated with boys. ‘It looks like you’re depressed.’ I had to be ‘man’ of the house.’: Man advocates for mental health, ‘I finally felt SEEN’
“Mom would rush my brother to the doctor. He was visibly ‘sick.’ I couldn’t convince her to bring me to the hospital for just being ‘sad.’ I failed to consider my brain was JUST as real as my brother’s heart.”
‘Do you want to hold your baby?’ Through tears I repeated, ‘No, you need to keep trying.’ Matthew fought to live well before he was born.’: Mom details life and loss of preemie child, ‘My kids are here because, not instead of him’
“What Matthew lacked in size, he made up for in personality. ‘God, if you’re going to take him, please let me be there with him.’ I was determined to squeeze in every second I could.”
10 Best Ways To Heal After Divorce
“Going through a divorce is never easy.”
‘He’s gone, Lex, he’s gone,’ my poor mom repeated between her sobs. I knew I’d never see my dad’s face again.’: Woman loses father in tragic accident, ‘The grief is always with you’
“I found two police officers parked in front of my house. They wouldn’t tell me what was going on. ‘You’ll find out soon.’ I fell to the ground in shock. I couldn’t believe I was ‘the girl whose dad died.’”
‘The social worker brought out a 5-day-old baby, wrapped in a blanket, and said, ‘Here you go!’ There were so many unknowns.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘It’s beautiful chaos’
“There have been days we want to throw in the towel and choose an ‘easier life.’ But we know this is what our family is called to do.”
‘We were two women, thrust into the positions of caregiver and lover. The trajectory of our lives forever changed.’: Partners of quadriplegic men pioneer global support community for others
“They were more than their new wheelchairs. They were the guys we fell in love with. We lost our home, careers, and the life we once knew. There was nothing available online, no resources for women like us. Then, we found each other.”
‘Surprise! It’s two kids, not one.’ My husband said, ‘Tell them YES!’ I was terrified my babies would be taken from us.’: Foster family shares adoption journey, ‘It was worth every fear’
“Packing their things was hard. The house felt empty the more I packed. I was loading the car up when my phone rang. ‘I know you’re saying goodbye, but we have a newborn.’ We decided right there to say yes.”
House Fires — 5 Things To Know If Your Home Ever Goes Up In Flames
“Watching your house go up in flames is shocking. It’s been three months since then, and in that time I have learned so much.”
‘I want MORE than friendship.’ I was expecting a fun fling. It was as if someone punched me in the gut.’: Woman finds love after divorce, ‘I no longer see marriage as dreadful’
“My life felt like a sham. I lived trying to make OTHERS happy. After my divorce, this beautiful man with the kindest smile walked through the door of a bar, said hi, and changed my life forever.”
4 Myths About Women & Beauty
“Women’s interest in beauty has always been used against them.”
‘My small apartment was OVERFLOWING with garments, and my heart and spirit were overflowing with JOY.’: Man starts ‘Knit the Rainbow’ to help LGBTQ youth in need
“A STAGGERING number of youth are left subject to the brutal seasons in NYC. As a Black gay man, I was embarrassed I hadn’t known. THIS was the community I had to help.”
‘Mom, I don’t feel like a boy OR a girl.’ I realized they only knew life as ‘boy’ or ‘girl.’: Mom of non-binary child says ‘they will ALWAYS come first’
“I always thought of myself as an ‘ally,’ but here was a moment, this was my child, my flesh and blood. I knew what I said next mattered more than anything in their world.”
‘My grandmother always kept a whistle next to the phone.’: Woman shares touching life lesson from grandma, ‘Blow a whistle on anything that disturbs your peace’
“I know. It’s strange, right? I’ve come to believe it is either absolutely crazy or pure genius.”
Dear Parents, Please Teach Your Children About Diversity
“We unintentionally teach them to be uncomfortable with people that are different.”
‘I’d relax into thinking, ‘I’m finally a mom.’ We’d have a bad day, and I’d sob at my demotion back to ‘just a stepmom.’: Stepmom shares journey, ‘I’m done with the word JUST’
“At 36, I said ‘I do’ to a handsome soldier and his 13-year-old son. I was a mom at last. That’s when I learned the harsh reality of labels. I wasn’t a ‘real mom.’”
‘At your age and with your history, you will miscarry.’ I was an unlikely pregnant 40-year-old, but I knew they were wrong.’: Mom battling infertility welcomes rainbow baby, ‘He is my heart’
“One day, after 4 years of losing battles and babies, I woke up pregnant for the seventh time at 40 years old.”