“Decorating the tree with my favorite Hallmark ornaments. Christmas music ringing through the house. Sledding down the neighbors’ driveway. Sipping hot cocoa from mugs adorned with snowmen. Driving around town in search of the best lights. Those moments? They last a lifetime.”
‘My son recently asked, ‘What did you get for Christmas as a kid?’ So I told him. ‘I honestly don’t remember.’: Mom shares sweet Christmas reminder, ‘Only the memories last a lifetime’
‘That’s impossible.’ It felt like someone was touching a cold spoon to my calf. Half of my torso went numb. Everyone was stumped.’: Woman diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, ‘You’re not alone’
“I’d scratch and pinch at the sides of my stomach. ‘Is this in my head?’ I experienced cold spots on my legs. When I moved my neck, I’d feel a rush of electricity through my legs. It was invisible to everyone but me.”
‘You knew they weren’t yours forever. Why’d you let yourself get so attached?’ I couldn’t help it. I was made for this.’: Woman details foster care journey, ‘We’re just getting started’
“I was there for her first smile, first bath, first words. Nothing prepared me for giving ‘my’ child away to be adopted by someone else. Rocking her to sleep for the last time was the hardest thing I’d ever do. I was sure I’d shatter completely.”
‘I was knocked into the air and heard my knee POP. ‘Oh no, not again.’ All my hard work was wasted.’: Athlete overcomes knee injuries, ‘I’m finding achievement off the field’
“I felt my left leg just tighten up. I instantly began crying because I knew this couldn’t be good. My teammates helped me off the court. I needed to prove I was good enough.”
‘My son NEEDS an evaluation!’ I knew it was coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no idea what to think.’: Mom shares son’s Autism journey, ‘There’s no other life I’d want’
“I began to see differences in him. Ronin was banging his head against the floor and pulling my hair out by the handful during his meltdowns. Doing nothing didn’t seem right.”
‘You are on the highest legal dose, but let’s increase anyway.’ I was trapped.’: Health coach overcomes OCD, anxiety, ‘It taught me how to treat my body properly’
“Growing up, I had a very typical, easy going childhood. I had great friends, a loving family, I enjoyed school, …
‘I want to swallow a bottle of pills and end it.’ Nothing brought me happiness. All I saw was a girl who needed to lose weight.’: Woman details recovery journey, ‘ALL bodies are good bodies’
“The clothes that once fit became baggy. One day, I tried an old pair of jeans on, and they fit. I CRIED. I had gained weight, and that was absolutely terrifying for me. I was always trying to be the ‘perfect’ girl.”
‘Somewhere there’s a mom tired of picking up toys. Somewhere else, there’s a mom choosing her child’s first wheelchair.’: Special needs mom says ‘I’ll always be grateful for where we are’
“There’s a different side to this world. A world with joy and gratitude like you’ve never seen. It’s never lost on me we could be somewhere else. It really is the little things that matter.”
‘Be careful, your body attracts men.’ At age 11 I was told my figure wasn’t right. It ripped me apart.’: Formal dancer reflects on ‘body positive’ journey, ‘Learn to speak to yourself with love’
“We were told we could only drink water or Diet Coke because ‘you shouldn’t waste calories on fluids.’ At 17, I hated my body. But it was all ‘part of the job.’”
‘Why did you quit?’ I didn’t need to hit rock bottom. I was ‘functional’ but I went to the liquor store every night. I KNEW I needed a reset.’: Mom shares sobriety journey, ‘I live with clarity’
“No one ever said a thing about my drinking, even those closest to me. That’s the funny thing about alcohol. You can be silently dying inside but the outside world has no idea.”
‘I hit a patch of black ice and lost control. ‘We can’t get her out!’ They cut my seatbelt off, but my legs were stuck.’: Woman survives car accident, traumatic brain injury, ‘I’ve come SO far’
“The car spun and hit a tree. I was unconscious upon impact. My mom was calling my name with no response. I was in a coma for a week, with a bolt in my head.”
‘My husband said, ‘I think that’s blood.’ This couldn’t be happening AGAIN. A terrifying 911 call was placed.’: Couple shares miscarriage journey, pregnancy, ‘We’re going to end this year with a rainbow’
“I sat in complete shock after she said it. I couldn’t think, not even to make a grocery list or clean our house. The panic attacks became a daily thing. I didn’t think I’d survive the month of October.”
‘You need to lose your baby fat.’ At 13 I was deemed ‘unworthy.’ I was told I shouldn’t exist.’: Woman fights for body positivity, ‘I want to define what ‘healthy’ is’
“My mom bought me shorts from Abercrombie and Fitch. They didn’t fit, and my mom just said ‘We’ll get them a size up.’ They didn’t make them in a bigger size. My heart broke. Mr brain immediately went to: ‘I’m fat, ugly, and unworthy.’”
‘I know it’s gone, I just know it.’ I sat in the back room, alone and bleeding. The guilt hung over me. We needed answers.’: Woman shares journey to rainbow baby, ‘Your grief is valid’
“I felt like I failed my husband, who had dreamed of being a dad. I was embarrassed to call our family and friends. How do you tell them, ‘Never mind?’ I didn’t want to be pitied. I wanted my life to return to normal.”
‘He’s only a few days old, and white.’ He didn’t even weigh enough to leave. I did skin-to-skin for weeks.’: Woman battles infertility, fosters-to-adopt, ‘We don’t have to look alike to love alike’
“Seven miscarriages later, the carpet was pulled from under us. She came into our lives at just the right moment.”
‘Can you take my child? Also, I’m pregnant.’ I ugly cried. They had to stay in Japan. I didn’t know if I’d see them again.’: Couple adopts siblings internationally, describes process, ‘It took a year to be reunited’
“How could I leave? Surely, if I had enough faith, we could be reunited, right? His response was not the resounding ‘YES!’ I’d hoped for.”
‘We’re a family of drinkers. It’s what we do.’ I had two young kids. Who could judge me for needing a couple glasses of wine to take the edge off?’: Mom details sobriety journey, ‘I choose myself’
“I drank the way everyone else did. As a sport, a pastime, a rite of passage. I sipped a travel mug full of wine as we pushed the double stroller. I cut the crusts off sandwiches and built block towers with the ghost of a hangover hovering above me.”
‘You’re in severe heart failure.’ A chill ran up my spine. I begged God to spare me for my kids’ sake.’: Twin mom diagnosed with chronic lung disease, ‘There’s so much more to life’
“I was scared, and I don’t scare easily. I almost fell down because my feet and legs were so swollen. ‘You need medication or you’ll die.’ I took a deep breath and dug my heels in.”
‘Please give me something to eat. I can’t do it anymore.’ My stomach was swollen. I felt weak and powerful at the same time.’: Model overcomes eating disorder, ‘I’m MORE than a label’
“I lost 26 pounds in 2 months. My legs weren’t strong enough to hold me. I refused to eat, and if I’d eat too much, I just threw it up when I was alone. Nothing seemed real.”
‘This year has left us numb. We’re searching for just a little bit of Christmas magic. That’s when I had the idea.’: Mom creates Drive-Thru Santa for neighborhood, ‘We need joy now more than ever’
“This year will be different. The children can’t touch his white beard, feel the texture of his velvet suit, or sit on his lap. Yet, our neighborhood came together to keep the Christmas magic alive. The spirit is the same.”
‘He’s only measuring about 2 pounds.’ Tears began streaming down my face. Something was terribly wrong.’: Woman gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘He’s uniquely formed’
“There aren’t words to explain how heartbroken I was. I cried, realizing this isn’t something you can ‘fix’ like a heart. This is a lifestyle set apart from most. I didn’t sign up for this.”
‘Something’s dying inside of you.’ I was bleeding all over myself, uncontrollably. I didn’t want to live like this.’: Woman shares cancer journey, ‘I have the strength to fight ANY battle’
“I was afraid I was dying, but I was scared to talk to anyone about it. ‘I’m bleeding and in a lot of pain.’ No one believed me. My doctor said, ‘Stay off the internet.’ I couldn’t keep away. I froze from fear.”
‘Baby girl with severe leg deformation.’ My heart pounded in my chest. This was the baby we’d searched for.’: Couple adopts daughter with special needs, ‘She’s our perfect match’
“Instantly, we said, ‘Yes.’ The very conditions that made her birth family unable to care for her were the reasons she was meant to be our daughter. To us, she was pure perfection.”
‘It must be something else.’ I didn’t lose my sense of taste or smell. Maybe it was all in my head.’: Woman shares ‘Long Covid’ journey, says ‘I’m celebrating the small wins’
“The news was full of stark warnings and symptoms to look out for. ‘Uh oh, here we go.’ 8 months later, I was still sick. I knew there was something very wrong with me.”
‘I heard a loud SNAP. ‘You’ve snapped your ligaments off.’ My kneecap was siting on the side of my knee.’: Athlete experiences miracle healing after injury, ‘I have a new hunger for life’
“All that was keeping my kneecap together were some screws and pins. I LITERALLY pulled my cracked knee cap apart. I felt lost and alone. Most days, it felt like no one understood.”