“My neck was a little sore as if I’d slept on it weird. Within seconds, it felt like someone spun me 180 degrees. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. ‘Why are you on the floor? Are you drunk?’ All she could see was her baby sister struggling.”
‘Something’s wrong. Get help.’ I went numb. My sister found me fighting for my life on the kitchen floor.’: Woman survives 2 strokes in medical mystery, ‘You have to trust the process’
‘Call your work, Dan’s work, Dan’s best friend, and then give me your phone.’ I felt guilty for falling asleep, for not being strong enough to give him CPR.’: Widow credits ‘tribe’ for healing through grief
“Living in the thick of the fire, my tribe was there to hold my hand as I walked through. I found myself sitting on a doctor’s couch the following Tuesday, sobbing tears of grief and agony. They helped me make sense of the madness and encouraged me to feel again.”
‘There were 10 two-year-olds in my living room, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. ‘Why are you kids acting weird? TELL ME THE TRUTH.’: Mom discovers why ‘kids are strange social beings’
“I was trying to act normal with Amelie’s mom, knowing full well it was her daughter who bit my daughter the week before. One says hello. My kids, their kids, they all act like a bunch of strangers. My son was the first one to fess up.”
‘Within 24 hours of birth the doctor said, ‘He needs immediate surgery.’ Other moms got to have normal kids.’: Mom of son with Lowe Syndrome finds her tribe, ‘They take care of us’
“I knew parenthood would be full of stress, but not like this. Hayden’s conditions were so rare, he didn’t fit into any box we could find. We couldn’t even find the questions to ask. I watched as all the other new moms got to have normal kids without a care in the world.”
‘Your second baby will make you wonder why you ever thought one was hard, but prove that a sibling is the best gift you could ever give your child.’: Mom says ‘your second baby will surprise you’
“Your second baby will make you wish for fewer hours in the day, but make you long for more time to soak them in. Your time and attention and your energy and your patience will be split in two, but your heart will double in size. These babies won’t last forever.”
‘I felt it was ‘easier’ to blend in. It sucked all my energy. I became so used to seeking approval, I didn’t realize I was losing myself.’: Woman urges ‘it’s okay to not be everyone’s cup of tea’
“It was my default to smile, nod, and be in agreement. It was my default to shrink myself so others could feel better about themselves. It was my default to dim my light because others felt I was too bright. As I got older, I started to question, ‘Why am I wasting my precious time and energy on people I don’t even vibe with?'”
‘Friends on white sandy beaches, enjoying a vacation you can’t go on for at least 5 years… I find myself thinking, ‘Why did I have kids?’: Mom shares her ‘WHY’ and says ‘it’s usually right in front of you’
“Those same friends are showing off their bikini bodies that haven’t changed since high school, while I chase after kids to separate, divert, and redirect. I grab plates of food from the table so they aren’t thrown next, and throw whatever bits of leftover nuggets or pizza on them into my mouth, as I hear my stomach growl from forgetting to make my own lunch.”
‘I got the call. ‘She has no name and no parents.’ This tiny baby was detoxing so bad she couldn’t eat.’: Mom adopts and fosters 16 kids after pregnancy loss, ‘I gave them my all’
“I got the call. The one I never in a million years thought I would receive. She had no prenatal care, she was not born in the hospital, and she was detoxing from multiple narcotics. ‘You have 2 minutes to choose a name.’ We went from one child to 4 in the span of 5 months.”
‘The devil was out to get me. I remember grabbing my kids and begging God to save us all. Then, I suddenly passed out.’: Mom shares postpartum psychosis journey to let others know they’re not alone
“It was the Friday before Memorial Day when things really began to fall apart. I remember being at church during a prayer meeting and saying aloud, ‘This is a dark place.’ I started quoting scripture he never realized I had memorized. No one seemed too concerned.”
‘The higher-ups in my command took pictures of my rape and left them on my phone. They thought it was funny. ‘It’s your fault. You drank with them.’: Veteran, assault survivor says ‘no one gets justice until we all do’
“They sent someone to ‘keep an eye on me’ so I didn’t report it. All my medical documentation was suddenly ‘lost.’ I was laughed at and called a liar.”
‘The nurse came in as I was flailing. ‘I don’t want to go!’ The ambulance thought I was 80, not 8.’: Woman celebrates 20 years brain tumor free, ‘My hope is to give back’
“My parents sat me down and told me I was going to need surgery. An 8-year-old, I cried and cried. I didn’t want to go in. When I woke in the recovery room, I learned it couldn’t be removed. We were devastated.”
‘I want white people to think I’m nice so they don’t kill me.’: Photographer captures how young black boys see themselves vs. how society sees them
“I would like others to know I’m not a threat to society.”
‘Is it illegal for me to go in and order my own dinner?’ I almost held my breath the entire time. ‘Stay six feet apart.’: Mom shares Subway worker’s act of kindness toward 11-year-old son
“I heard him mumble to himself on the way home, ‘God, I love this feeling.’ His father and I appreciate you so much more than you knew when you handed him his change and he ran out the door. He will never forget this, I promise.”
“My cancer is back.’ Then came the next bombshell. My entire family was dead before I turned 30.’: Daughter grieves loss of parents, ‘Running from grief isn’t the solution’
“I found out Mom was going to die. As I walked away from the hospice, I knew my life had changed. After her death, I had to foster a new relationship with my dad. Then came another bombshell. My entire family was dead before I turned 30.”
‘You did drive-by parades and Zoom calls. You dropped off beloved stuffed animals. You are the only reason I can breathe.’: Mom thanks teachers for unyielding support
“This year, I want to return the favor.”
‘I accidentally left my son’s sippy cup on the top of the car at a gas station and ended up with bruises on my arms.’: Domestic violence survivor urges ‘there is no excuse for abuse’
“I used to give so many excuses for my ex’s behavior. I used to blame MYSELF for his actions.”
‘That doctor ended up saving me twice in that hospital — first with a life-saving surgery, then again with a simple business card.’: After ectopic pregnancy, woman credits doctor with helping her ‘mental recovery’
“She handed me the business card and said, ‘I feel like you may need this.’ I started to talk, but the words couldn’t find a way out. I wanted to tell her I was fine and give the card back. Yet I knew, somewhere in my soul, I would need that card.”
‘I feel like Mufasa walking in the produce aisle. I’m always flattening out my curls. ‘We can both be beautiful together!’: Daughter inspires mom to embrace her curls, ‘I have to love my actual, physical self’
“’Mommy! Your hair is curly like MINE?’ My hair was drying naturally and had curled up a little bit. ‘Yes, my hair looks like yours before I…’ I almost said, ‘Fix it.’”
‘We butted heads. We were a little mean to each other. We kept our distance. I’m sharing this because more often than not, this is real life.’: Woman says ‘it’s okay to not have a perfect relationship’
“This is one of the fakest photos I’ve ever taken.”
‘She told me, ‘Your stomach is so nasty. How can you be confident and dress sexy when you look like that?’ I constantly compared myself to my beautiful friends.’: Woman urges ‘all bodies are good bodies!’
“‘Wow, you look beautiful,’ my husband would comment. ‘Shut up… No, I don’t.’ On a daily basis, he’d tell me I was undeniably gorgeous. I’d deny each and every compliment. But he never gave up on trying to make me feel beautiful and sexy. This body was a home for 9 months.”
‘We felt helpless watching his silent cries. ‘Am I allowed to touch him?’ We already lost our baby girl.’: Mom births rainbow baby with Congenital Diaphragmatic hernia, ‘I chose faith over fear’
“She told me our baby boy had a hole in his diaphragm. We felt helpless as our sweet boy fought for his life, and there was nothing we could do. After we lost our daughter, I said I would have done absolutely anything for her to be with us. This is it. This is the ‘absolutely anything.’”
‘Mom, can you please come over again?’ The hard nights won’t last forever, but neither will these little, chubby-arm days.’: Mom says ‘one day I will look back on these days, and miss this’
“The nursing every 2 hours. The drive home from the hospital with this new life. Every car was an enemy. The crying days, the googling symptoms, and ‘I’m just so tired,’ days. My mom body–more feminine and efficient than before. The highlights in his hair. The days where I could hold him in my arms, and he fit just right. I’m going to miss this.”
I Escaped My Abusive Marriage And Found My Fairy Tale Man
“I didn’t think Brian could ever love me, a single mom to 3 kids. ‘You need to tell him about the abuse.’ I was broken, terrified I’d scare him off. He looked me dead in my eyes: ‘I want YOU, that’s not changing anything.’ He never gave up. When I had nightmares about my abuse, he woke with me and talked me through them. One day, he said, ‘I’d like to adopt your kids.’ Fairy tales aren’t just for the movies. I’m living one!”
‘I’m pregnant with triplets!’ Then my heart sank. I was in shock. ‘The doctor has to look at something.’: Triplet with omphalocele heals in utero, ‘I wake up thankful’
“I said to my husband, ‘There’s more news. I’m pregnant with triplets!’ How could we afford that many diapers? Then the doctor called. ‘We need to do a more in-depth ultrasound.’ I knew something was wrong.”
‘Your parents gave you away because they didn’t want you.’ I was taken in at 19 days old. My life became a mental game of ‘Who Could Be My Birth Mother?’: Adoptee reunites with biological mom, ‘I found my long-lost soulmate’
“I received an unsealed adoption file. ‘I’m going to disrupt the lives of several families by doing this.’ I sent my contact information and waited anxiously. Everywhere I went, I looked for passing strangers that looked like me. Then, one day, my phone rang: ‘I’m so glad you found me.’ Her words lit up my entire life.”