“‘Can I hold him?’ I went in with an open heart, not knowing what to expect, and my heart came back full. I HAD to do something.”
‘The house had no roof or door. He was lying on a towel. ‘You should adopt him!’ He was abandoned with his sisters.’: Couple adopts siblings after missionary work
Instead Of Hiding My Burn Scars, I Wear Them Like Diamonds
“Pressure makes diamonds. After all I’ve been through, I’m almost indestructible, with a sparkle to match.”
‘When are you hopping on the baby train?’ I didn’t want a baby. I wanted to spend my money on traveling and selfish things, not diapers.’: New mom says motherhood is ‘easily the best thing to happen to me’
“Even after 7 years of marriage, a baby was the furthest thing from my mind. I felt like I was being left behind. ‘How can a teacher not want kids? Am I a good person?’ The idea of having kids was terrifying.”
‘It’s okay, Mommy, just breeaathe.’ My toddler was mirroring my emotions. I knew we were onto something.’: Mom creates ‘peaceful habits’ during pandemic, ‘Focus on what matters most’
“I felt like I was drowning. I needed to up my self-care game or I’d lose it. We were not the only ones experiencing these challenges. I was definitely not alone! It was time to share the discoveries we’d made.”
‘If it happens, it happens.’ I stared at the negative test. I was right, but it still stung. My body had betrayed me.’: Endometriosis warrior shares motherhood journey, ‘My dream came true’
“There was a HUGE chance I’d never get pregnant. My hands were shaking. I turned the test over. ‘Wait, what?’ After seeing negative after negative, you don’t think you’ll ever see a positive.”
‘Mom asked, ‘Will boys find you attractive?’ But I wasn’t a boy OR a girl. I acted feminine to avoid bullying.’: Non-binary person shares journey, ‘I want my body to feel like mine’
“I destroyed all my relationships because I was living a lie. ‘Will people think I’m a freak?’ I wanted to be proud of who I was.”
‘The doctor said, ‘Do you know what this might mean?’ I felt CHEATED. ‘There’s NOTHING wrong with him!’ I had to ‘fix it.’: Mom of autistic son navigates challenges, ‘I embrace him for who he is’
“She saw him and said, ‘’My grandson has it, too.’ What? I was in denial.”
‘My child’s teacher tossed a grenade into my well-manicured world. ‘Stella reminds me of a girl I used to teach.’ Once I saw the images, I knew.’: Mom advocates for daughter with Williams Syndrome
“As I walked to my car, I couldn’t type those words into the search bar fast enough. Williams Syndrome. I was completely blindsided. That’s when I left the old version of me.”
‘You won’t make it through the night.’ I was scared to close my eyes. ‘FIGHT HARDER!’ I told myself.’: Two-time cancer survivor becomes model, ‘I was determined to get ME back’
“I told myself, ‘It’s just 8 hours, you got this. You feel no pain!’ I was pumped with meds but NOTHING was working. Seeing the look on my parents’ faces, I knew I couldn’t give up.”
‘Your baby LOOKS sick.’ His lips were blue and he’d lost 4 pounds. We hadn’t realized he was slowly fading.’: Baby diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, ‘His diagnosis doesn’t define him’
“He’d been nursing nonstop and drinking large amounts of water. He woke up soaked. ‘His hands and feet are freezing.’ It was 75 degrees outside. His body was attacking itself.”
‘You don’t even like kids.’ But there they were, two pink lines. I laughed. There was no way I could raise a girl.’: New mom shares reality of motherhood, ‘It’s okay not to love every second’
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like kids. It’s just I never felt motherly enough. I was still selfishly self-absorbed. ’Maybe my career is my main focus.’ It’s funny how things change, isn’t it? She changed me.”
‘Was her due date correct? Something’s off.’ The cord was wrapped around her neck 5 times. She was completely red.’: Mom births baby with Williams Syndrome, ‘There’s no shortage of love’
“I helplessly lay there, shivering as alarms were sounded and ‘Code Blue’ was called. The world started to go black around me. All I could hear was, ‘Heart problems, elfin appearance, intellectual disability, love of music.’ She was so, so small.”
‘You’ll need a transplant. There’s no telling how soon.’ My skin turned yellow and I had NO energy. I was running out of time!’: Woman receives liver donated by mom, ‘I wear my scars proudly’
“I watched myself fade away, becoming sicker every week. It felt like I waited FOREVER for the perfect match. I had scabs everywhere. My kids grappled to understand what was happening to their mommy.”
‘It’ll be difficult for you to get pregnant.’ I gave him an out. ‘No way, let’s adopt!’ There was no doubt in my mind.’: Couple moves to Africa to adopt daughter, ‘We’re exactly where we need to be’
“We picked up the phone. ‘There’s a 17-month-old girl.’ We felt like we were racing time. Then COVID hit. We wouldn’t be able to take her home. ‘Why don’t WE go be a family with her?’ It seemed like a no-brainer.”
‘We noticed wobbling in his eyes. My denial turned to heartbreak. ‘I can’t believe I passed on my problems.’: Woman learns to embrace blindness in herself and son, ‘I can guide him through life’
“‘No kids would want a blind mom!’ My husband told me not to worry, we’d do things differently, and would solve problems as they came. I assumed being a mom and wife was unreachable. He taught me differently.”
‘Unfortunately, you weren’t accepted.’ Everyone made jokes about me. ‘It’s because she’s FAT.’ My heart dropped.’: Young woman shares self-love journey, ‘I am worthy’
“’I know why you didn’t get in. They told us.’ My heart sank. ‘They didn’t think you’d be able to do physical activity.’ I was the only one who didn’t. It opened my eyes.”
‘How can ‘I’ be gay?’ Gay guys have great hair, creamy skin, and abs. I had a HUGE belly hanging over my pants.’: Gay man learns body acceptance, ‘Being plus-sized doesn’t define me’
“Nothing fit right. My mom brought me to the ‘husky’ section. ‘What does husky mean?’ She said, ‘It’s for boys like you.’ BOOM. There it was. It wasn’t what she said. It was how she said it, in an almost hush, as if it was something embarrassing to be discussed.”
‘We’re the only American family on the block. ‘Dear Neighbors, we’d be happy to see you tonight.’ They took the time to include us.’: Military family finds community during deployment, urges ‘make others feel welcome’
“We air-toasted our warm drinks in one another’s direction and voiced pleasantries across the cobblestones. The soft notes of Christmas music played through those open windows. You have no idea the impact even the smallest gesture can make.”
‘Oh, honey.’ She noticed a cleft lip and clubbed feet. ‘This is going to be hard.’: Woman shares journey with daughter’s CHARGE syndrome
“Her growth began to slow. ’Rare but not unheard of’ became my life story. My daughter’s heart was giving up. ‘This is really hard news. But you can do this.’ It was exactly what I needed to hear.”
‘I’m hurt you’d date my ex!’ She tried to pin abuse on us. We called their phone. No one answered.’: Blended family forced to leave kids details journey, ‘We can’t wait to be together again’
“His son never wanted to see us again. He loves video games and changed his name to ‘leaving.’ He was hurting and did not know how to express it. When we called their phone, no one answered.”
‘She’d take us on ‘missions’ in the night. It was her outlet for being a single mom. I was eventually placed in foster care.’: First generation college graduate and father shares journey, ‘I broke a generational barrier’’
“We experienced the trauma of being ripped away from our mom, as well as each other, and we were forced to live with families we didn’t know. I grew up sooner than I expected.”
‘We were 2 kids who thought we knew what life was about. We were SHOCKED to find out I was pregnant. I felt so ashamed.’: Young mom births daughter with Rett Syndrome, ‘I’m blessed to be part of her story’
“She was my sin who couldn’t be hidden from others. ‘Is this my punishment for how she was brought into the world?’ But I no longer want to hide. She is my reminder to choose LIFE.”
‘One baby’s heart is fine.’ Mom asked, ‘What about the OTHER?’ My first surgery was at 3 days old. It’s as bad as it gets.’: Woman survives heart disease, transplant, ‘Each day I rise’
“The surgeries were risky, and many didn’t make it through. None guaranteed survival.”
‘Will I be able to have a family?’ The rooms were filled with old ladies. I knew in my gut it wasn’t good.’: Breast cancer survivor inspires others, ‘I look forward to a beautiful future’
“I saw the hospital number on my cell. I grabbed my phone. ‘Monique, I’m so, so sorry.’ Questions flooded my mind.”
‘We need to deliver this baby NOW!’ The NICU is a dance between life and death. We took one step forward, three steps back.’: Mom of micro preemie to become nurse, ‘I’m giving back’
“Our journey was a rollercoaster. It’s wanting to hold your child, but knowing it is best you don’t sometimes. It’s yearning for normalcy in a world of the unfamiliar. For me, there was no greater fear than going back.”