“It hit us like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, everything I envisioned for my child’s life went out the window. Going through life being different from everyone else seemed impossible.”
‘All babies are different,’ he assured us. I was a new mom. I didn’t have any basis for comparison. With just a few words, my heart shattered.’: Mom shares son’s autism diagnosis, ‘I follow his lead’
‘Did it work?’ I didn’t say anything. I just put my head down, knowing our dream was over.’: Couple battling infertility pursue embryo adoption, ‘We’re so grateful for this journey’
“We sat in the doctor’s office on Valentine’s Day. ’The surgery wasn’t successful. There’s a .02% chance for genetic children.’ I was desperate at this point. I even contacted the local animal shelter to see if they had any kittens. I was spiraling.”
‘Girls like her don’t come back from this.’ I left home when I was 15. I found my oblivion in the form of a needle. I always wanted MORE.’: Recovered addict shares sobriety journey, ‘I am FREE’
“I took my first drink when I was about 14 years old. For the first time, I felt okay. I needed more. On my fifteenth birthday, I took my first hit of acid. The probation officer told my parents, ‘She’ll be dead in a few years.’ My bottom was near.”
‘You’re lucky to be alive!’ The last thing I remember is a nurse stroking my head. I sobbed when I saw my stomach.’: 27-year old beat Covid 19 after near-death experience, ‘Always trust your gut’
“My body was unrecognizable. It was like a lightning strike. I nearly passed out trying to take my dog to use the bathroom.”
‘I cried in the nursery closet, clenching his wubby so hard my palms bled. We aren’t the same people now.’: Couple battling infertility urge ‘people who choose to walk away are just as worthy’
“What’s the point of having a child if you lose your own identity? I still had so much to offer in my life, but technically ‘nothing’ to show for it. I permitted myself to be me.”
‘Some people just have to learn to live with numbness.’ I lost feeling in my face. I thought I was dying.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis becomes advocate, ‘Your life is changing, not ending’
“It felt like my rib cage was being crushed, and as if I had forgotten how to breathe. ‘It sounds like panic attacks.’ When a nurse was there with a box of tissues, I realized it wasn’t going to be the same this time.”
‘I thought you were cute until I found out about your hand.’ This CRUSHED me. I thought I was unlovable.’: Woman with limb difference urges, ‘Be kind to others’
“I was known as ‘Chelsea with one finger.’ A little girl started screaming like she’d seen a monster. She pointed straight at my hand and screamed as if it were a feral animal coming at her.”
‘I don’t see a baby.’ The screen didn’t look right. There was just a blur and it was fuzzy. My whole body became hot.’: Woman gives birth to miracle baby, ‘I’m forever grateful’
“I was bloated from the chemotherapy and chunks of my hair were falling out. I was ill and exhausted. As defeated as I felt, I wasn’t ready to give up hope for our happy ending.”
‘He is SO loved already.’ No matter what, we were having this baby. The news did not change anything.’: Mom has baby with CHARGE Syndrome, ‘I find such joy in our life’
“While I sometimes long to feel the naivety I felt before that day, I know I am exactly the person I am meant to be right now. I’ve gained confidence and a voice I didn’t know I had. I will ALWAYS fight for him.”
‘We’d never even taken care of a baby before. ‘By the way, they’re nonverbal.’ Our whole life changed in an instant.’: Woman shares foster parent journey, ‘I’ve loved every single one like my own’
“For the next 3 years, I was their mom and they were my kids. They were a part of our family. All of our hopes and dreams unraveled with a single court hearing.”
‘The doctor called. ‘There’s been an accident.’ We begged them to hear us. It seemed like they was giving up.’: Couple loses miracle baby to hospital error, ‘I dream of her, and know she’s ok’
“‘They saw a leak when they changed her feeding tube. ‘It should heal on its own.’ We BEGGED them to listen.”
‘Something’s different.’ I felt the vibrations on my skin, but I didn’t hear anything. My heart dropped.’: Mom shares hearing loss journey, ‘The sky’s the limit’
“Would I ever hear my boyfriend say the words ‘I love you’ to me again? How was I going to have a career? ‘Perhaps you’d make a good audiologist.’ I wanted to help others.”
‘I can’t do this. I’m a terrible person.’ Something inside me broke. When I looked in the mirror, I saw an ugly monster.’: Woman shares mental health journey, ‘It’s okay to ask for help’
“My partner made me a cup of tea and left me on the sofa. When he came back 3 hours later, I was in the same place with a cold cup of tea in my hand. I hadn’t moved. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ I broke down.”
‘I think it’s happening again.’ I tried to bury my fears, but couldn’t deny it. Lightning had struck twice.’: Sisters diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ infantile spasms, ‘They share a deep connection’
“We were sent home with shattered dreams and heavy hearts. They didn’t make eye contact and ate through a tube. Doctors told us we’d have to wait for science to catch up. Their ‘Good luck’ as we walked out the door felt like a kick in the gut.”
‘I drown in piles of laundry and dishes, the pressure to be a good wife. Most days, I feel like I didn’t do enough. The load we carry is heavy, from the moment our feet hit the floor.’: Special needs mom urges ‘ask for help’
“The load we carry is heavy, from the moment our feet hit the floor to the moment our head hits the pillow.”
‘There’s no cure.’ He had cysts on his brain. We were at a dead end. I was beyond devastated, but I had to fight.’: Mom advocates for son born with hearing loss, CMV, ‘He’s made me stronger’
“He suddenly had microcephaly, and none of us understood why. I was terrified. He was so tiny and fragile. All of this was because I contracted a virus while pregnant. I felt so guilty.”
Be Kind This Holiday Season—Especially To Your Grieving Friends
“Whether it’s been one year or ten, it’s just never really the same.”
‘Thank God he’s leaving,’ someone said loudly. I whipped around. ‘He has autism.’ My blood BOILED.’: Mom advocates for son with autism, ‘We’re stepping into his world’
“Suddenly, he lost ALL his words. ‘Have you heard him talk recently?’ He stopped making eye contact and couldn’t sleep through the night. We grieved a life we had imagined for our son.”
‘You should leave me. Be with a woman who can give you a child.’ I’d go from screaming to sobbing on the floor. I felt broken.’: Couple battling infertility welcome IVF baby, ‘Never lose hope’
“I found out we weren’t pregnant. 8 hours later, friends of ours told us they were expecting. I’ve never felt so defeated, so broken, so less like a woman in my entire life. I thought everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around.”
‘The test was positive.’ My heart stopped. The world came crashing down around me. I thought my life was ending.’: Man diagnosed with HIV becomes advocate, ‘My world is brighter’
“All I could think was, ‘I’m going to die.’ How would I tell my parents and friends? I found myself sitting on the beach, staring into the ocean. I wanted to throw myself in and not come back. I wanted this pain to be gone.”
‘I’m so sorry. They all died.’ My dreams SHATTERED. I was afraid I’d never get to be a mother.’: Couple battling male-factor infertility share path to parenthood, ‘I’m proud to be their mom’
“It was like a knife was stuck into my chest, over and over again. My worst fears were realized. My plan was to be a mom. JUST. A. MOM. Then my husband said, ‘Let’s use donor sperm.’ He gave me hope.”
‘Are you going to keep her?’ We never thought it would happen to us. I prayed for her to be ‘normal.’: Mom details Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘She’s changed our lives’
“We were angry. We were scared. We tried to talk ourselves into believing the test was wrong. ‘Why did you choose me to be her mother?’ I felt so inadequate to raise a child with special needs.”
To My Friend Who Would Rather Not Do Christmas This Holiday Season—I See You
“It’s okay if it all feels like too much. It’s okay if you are ready for it all to be over. I may not know what it’s like to walk in your shoes, but you are not alone.”
‘I don’t belong here.’ I had a hard time accepting myself. People were always trying to ‘fix’ me.’: Woman finds acceptance in Deaf community, ‘We have so much to offer’
“I was never invited to a friend’s house. At lunchtime, I couldn’t keep up. I was slapped because I pronounced words wrong. No one else shared my struggle. I found my community and never looked back.”
‘He doesn’t open presents, understand Santa Claus, or notice the glow of Christmas lights.’: Mom to son with autism candidly details holiday grief, ‘Special needs parents, I see you’
“The busy atmosphere and holiday rush put him into sensory overload. The magical memories faded as fast as his eye contact. But this year, after years of trying, he finally put the star on the tree.”