“Two days before flying back to America, I found out I was pregnant. I sat in the bathroom and sobbed. I wanted his comfort during pregnancy and birth. The thought of doing it alone was overwhelming.”
‘My visa was denied.’ I never thought I’d be a single parent with a partner on the other side of the world.’: Solo mom raises son alone during lockdown, ‘I have hope we’ll be together again’
‘My daughter yelled, ‘We’re getting a sister baby!’ We HAD to make a decision. Say yes? Say no? Our hearts grew 3 sizes.’: Couple adopts after second infertility battle, ‘A weight has been lifted from our hearts’
“Case after case passed us by. Finally, Drew pointed right to her case and said, ‘That’s the one.’”
‘Will you marry me?’ It was the easiest YES I’ve ever said. We daydreamed about adoption until suddenly, it wasn’t a daydream anymore.’: Lesbian couple share emotional love, adoption story
“There wasn’t enough representation of lesbians adopting through foster care. It’s hard to find stories like ours.”
‘My whole life turned upside down. I’ve experienced what ‘in sickness and in health’ TRULY means.’: Mom diagnosed with rare Tarlov Cysts, chronic illness, ‘I learned what sacrificial love is’
“My husband became my full time caretaker, but he also upped his duties as my best friend, entertainer, hope dealer and truth speaker. He became my hands and feet, all of it.”
‘The priority is saving your life.’ 5 days before surgery, I heard the words I’d always dreamed: ‘You’re pregnant.’: Ovarian cancer survivor welcomes miracle baby
“Within a week, my stomach grew to appear 5 months pregnant. My entire abdomen was infected with small tumors. ‘You need a full hysterectomy.’ My biggest dream was to have kids. But there I was, 5 days before surgery, hearing the words, ‘You’re pregnant.’”
‘Before she died, I promised I’d be the best teacher I could. We had no idea how our life would unfold.’: Teacher turns special needs advocate after birthing son with Down Syndrome
“I felt like I let Mrs. Fisher down. But what felt like devastation soon turned into a new passion, one fueled by an even greater source of love — my son.”
‘What happens to seniors who DON’T have family?’ I HAD to help them.’: Woman starts organization sending letters to seniors, ‘I make people smile’
“I am pretty sure my grandparents were looking down on me that day.”
‘My partner announced, ‘I’m trans.’ It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.’: LGBT couple share beautifully complex love story
“He had a lightbulb moment. ‘I cannot continue to inhabit this female body.’ I would be a lesbian woman part of a heterosexual couple. I had no idea what this meant for us.”
‘I don’t feel like myself.’ I attempted to be the perfect mom. I couldn’t let myself cage.’: Mom bravely shares journey with anxiety and panic disorder, ‘I don’t have to hide anymore’
“My stomach sank in fear. ‘What if something is really wrong?’ The room was spinning. My house became my safe space. What if I never felt like my true self again? I couldn’t stay home forever.”
To My Special Needs Sibling, I Will Never Stop Fighting For You
“People tell me all the time, ‘This must be so hard for you.’ ‘I don’t know how you deal with this.’ I don’t ‘deal’ with it, I love and advocate fiercely.”
‘When are they going to find out?’ For years, I worried about fitting in. I just wanted to be ‘normal.’: Woman with Type 1 Diabetes says ‘being different is the only thing we all have in common’
“I noticed I was different than my friends. I asked myself, ‘What is normal?’ They could eat when they wanted and didn’t need to prick their finger three times a day.”
‘My boyfriend said, ‘I don’t want to be with a slob.’ I became fitness obsessed. My wardrobe shifted to gym clothes only. If I went to bed hungry, I was a winner.’: Woman shares journey to self-love after eating disorder battle
“I eventually started looking in the mirror and hating myself. Why wasn’t I perfect? Why wasn’t I happy now I had lost more weight? So, I continued to lose it. And lose it. And lose it.”
‘He’ll grow out of it,’ they’d say. I didn’t. I spent YEARS masking myself to fit who I thought I needed to be. I learned to celebrate my differences.’: LGBTQ man waiting for autism diagnosis, ‘I was BORN this way’
“I began to only stim in the privacy of my bedroom or the bathroom and treated it like a dirty secret I’d hopefully grow out of, along with my attraction to boys and all things deemed feminine.“
‘You have MULTIPLE disorders, all at once.’ I’ve been home-bound for 5 YEARS. I didn’t know I had this COURAGE.’: Chronic migraine sufferer shares journey, ‘NEVER stop pushing’
“There will be days when you have to take the pain minute by minute. You’ll dig deep and find a strength you didn’t know was humanly possible.”
As A Woman Dating A Disabled Person, I Am Shocked At The Things People Say
“Jason’s disability is an important part of him, but it’s not the most important thing about him. Disability shouldn’t ever make someone less worthy of finding love.”
‘A tear of pride rolled down his cheek. ‘My son.’ Even if my husband was on the other side of the world, we were together.’: Military wife shares son’s journey with Down syndrome, ‘Focus on the good’
“My husband and I sat silently in the front seat of my car. ‘Your baby has Trisomy 21.’ For a moment, my heart stung. My husband deployed to the Middle East for 6 months. Our adventure continued.”
‘Can you adopt my baby?’ 6 weeks later, our world came crashing down. ‘How could this happen AGAIN?’: Couple battling infertility share foster care journey, ‘There’s purpose in the pain’
“All the puzzle pieces came together right before our eyes. ‘There’s no way we can experience any more loss.’ We received the most dreaded message… it didn’t feel real. I knew there were miracles to come.”
‘The nurse let out a huge gasp. ‘I’m sorry, we thought you were sleeping!’ I wasn’t supposed to hear. Heavily pregnant, all I could think was, ‘Is is true? Do I have it?’: Mom details battle with ovarian cancer, survivor’s guilt
“I woke up in a hospital room, my husband at my bedside and my dad across from me. All I remember saying was, ‘Is it true?’ Inside me was a tumor the size of a cantaloupe, and a baby the size of a plum.”
‘Do you tell the guy? Can you DATE?’ It came on SO fast. I’m preparing myself for the future, incurable or not.’: Woman diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, ‘It won’t stop me from living’
“I started tripping. People called me ‘clumsy.’ I thought it was normal because people trip over things, don’t they? It all happened unexpectedly. ‘I’m going blind. I’m really going blind.’ It came on SO fast.”
‘Everyone was staring. I’m quietly praying, ‘Please help us.’ Then I look over, and I’m FIGHTING back tears.’: Mom shares touching act of kindness with Walmart employee
“Ava screamed across the store. She was in distress…overstimulated by the lights and the many sounds. I was FRANTIC. I look over and Conner came over to hold her hand, while repeatedly telling us everything was going to be OK.”
‘Do my friends even love me anymore?’ She misses her old teachers, the blue door she once entered, and me as just her mommy.’: Mom details candid reality of homeschooling while raising newborn
“There are days I teach Chloe while rocking my screaming newborn in my arms, or days I nurse him in one arm while teaching Chloe with the other. But I will never get these days back.”
‘If I sent you home now, I’d be ashamed to call myself a nurse.’ She held my hand, and advocated for me.’: Chronic illness warrior inspired to become nurse after act of kindness
“I relied on nurses for almost everything. Without hesitation, they lifted my spirits and held my hand. They allowed me to trust the health care system again and reclaim my passion. I knew I wanted to be part of that change.”
‘How many kids do you want?’ I wasn’t your ‘typical maternal’ type. I convinced myself I wasn’t cut out for it.’: Mom of 2 admits ‘maternity can be born with your baby’
“As she was placed on my chest for the first time, I felt such purpose. Maternity can be born at the same time as your baby.”
‘Why did you keep having kids if you weren’t happy?’ I was the ‘bad guy’ for breaking up my family.’: Single mom of 4 navigates life after divorce, ‘Happiness comes first’
“From the outside looking in, we were the perfect family. ‘Maybe if we just take this one vacation, everything will magically change.’ I felt worthless and unloved. My boys were the only thing that made life worthwhile.”
‘I have two toddlers that need a place to stay.’ He was nonverbal, drug-exposed, and had a brain lesion. We were terrified.’: Military family adopts brothers from foster care, ‘Miracles happen every day’
“We decided to put our YES out there and let God take care of the rest. The social workers started bringing in medical equipment, trash bags full of belongings. It was magical and heartbreaking all at the same time.”