“We were two young college kids who had moved for a fresh start. All we had was each other to lean on. I was with the man of my dreams, going to a school I loved, and working a job that made me happy every day. It felt like my whole world ended. How would I be a single, first-time mom?”
‘I was already a month along. My boyfriend had passed away a week before. I was completely in shock.’: Mom grieves during pregnancy with late boyfriend’s daughter, ‘He is still around in spirit’
‘My son was taken away from me and placed with his grandparents while his father sat in jail. I would come face to face with the devil himself’: Mom recounts struggles with alcoholism, ‘It’s not an easy road’
“I began partying with a different crowd, mixing Xanax and vodka to help me cope. It was during this time I met the father. I was introduced to the reality of just how mean people can be.”
‘Something is not right!’ One eye was smaller than the other, but doctors kept telling me he was okay. I knew I was going to have to fight.’: Woman gives birth to son with rare genetic disorder, ‘I have found my purpose’
“I lost over 30 pounds. I also lost my hair. I threw up constantly, even throwing up blood. Something inside me told me to keep fighting. When my son came out, he wasn’t crying. I knew that moment something was wrong with him. Nobody was listening to me.”
‘If something happens, I’ll never be the same. I can’t lose another baby.’ He coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. I started to scream.’: Woman loses rainbow baby to Alloimmune Liver Disease, ‘He made me a better mother’
“I finally got to hold him skin to skin. It took everything in me not to cry the entire time. He was perfect. He was everything. When I woke up, people were running everywhere; our doctor was giving orders. ‘His blood pressure is dropping.’ I wasn’t going to lose him, I couldn’t.”
‘We are past time for you to call family. Your dad is not going to make it.’ ‘He was fine yesterday. What do you mean he is not going to make it?’: Woman who lost parents to bile duct cancer writes tribute to father, ‘He was my best bud’
“He was moaning and groaning. I asked everyone in the room what had happened and what was going on. The head nurse shared that my Dad awoke around 3 a.m. in excruciating pain. That one instance led to my dad’s demise. And it was all my fault. That is what the enemy wanted me to believe.”
‘I was dreaming of our baby’s future one day, then that future disappeared within seconds. I am a real woman who experienced a real loss.’: After miscarriage, woman declares, ‘I am not a taboo’
“I poked out my belly as far as I could and wanted to believe so badly there was still a life growing inside. This was supposed to be the first picture to document my first pregnancy. At the time, I did not know.”
‘Why don’t you get us some lottery tickets?’ I couldn’t imagine what he could be thinking. Tears streamed down my face.’: Woman details parents’ drug addiction and desire to break the cycle
“I was 19 years old when I watched my parents shoot up heroin at our kitchen table. This is a picture of what I have left of my dad. I held my father’s hand as they told him there was nothing they could do.”
‘I’m trying mommy, I’m trying. I love you.’ When I looked down, I saw blood. Why am I being punished?’: After miscarriage, woman has miracle baby, ‘I would do it over and over again for her.’
“Why did we have to wait until 12 weeks? That was a stupid rule. After the wedding, we ended up telling pretty much everyone. Family, friends.Then I woke up to use the bathroom. When I looked down, I saw blood.”
How My Grandma Turned My Forgotten Christmas Birthdays Into Something Special
“As a Christmas Eve baby, I never got parties with friends. My birthday presents doubled as Christmas presents. Living in the shadow of Kris Kringle, my grandma wanted to do something to make me feel special.”
‘I’m going to be a nurse like you, mom!’ You are going to change the world, one patient at a time.’: Nurse pens letter to future child, ‘Healthcare needs you’
“It’s not glamorous. Most of the time it’s quite the opposite. Messy. Ugly. Difficult. Painful. Exhausting. You will get burnt out and want to quit. But don’t you dare forget your why. Remember, it’s so worth it.”
‘The family stopped answering. ‘They’ve backed out of the adoption.’ They wanted a healthy baby, not my son with a disability.’: Mom of 5 adopts special needs child after rejections, now in beautiful open adoption with birth mom
“Once Noah was born, the whole room was creepily quiet. Finally, one of the doctors said, ‘It looks like the baby may have a disability.’ Suddenly, the family I thought would love him didn’t even want him because he wasn’t ‘perfect.’ Neither did the next. Then, we found Jerene. ‘Are you interested in a special needs adoption? We have a baby boy who needs a family like, yesterday!’ Already 5 children of her own, her response was, ‘Why not?’ I was bawling.”
‘I think something’s wrong.’ He’s been here 7 years and I feel like we’ve just met. I struggle to get out of bed.’: Special needs mom advocates for mental health, ‘It’s okay to not be okay’
“There were 12 of us under one roof and not enough to go around. I remember braiding one of my classmate’s hair, in order to make some extra cash. I sat and wondered what her life was like.”
‘Whatever you do, do not Google.’ Bruises didn’t warrant a trip to the doctor. My brain was boggled.’: Son diagnosed with severe Hemophilia diagnosis, ‘We face every hurdle head-on’
“I remember sitting on my kitchen floor crying. ‘Most children with this condition lead normal lives.’ My world was caving in. I was a carrier. I caused my baby to have such a horrible condition.”
‘When marriage gets hard, I picture myself old. Grayed hair, shriveled little body, with feet difficult to put in front of the other.’: Woman says ‘our love will be the greatest accomplishment of our lives’
“When my body begins to wear down from sickness or old age, I want you there with me. When I’m scared, resting in a bed, wondering if I’ll really make it to heaven, I want you there with me, looking me right in the eye, reassuring me that it’s okay to leave.”
‘My coordinator called. ‘The parents no longer want to work with you.’ My dream was ripped away.’: Woman documents surrogacy journey, ‘I will keep pushing forward’
“I knew our family was complete, but I felt longing to be pregnant again. I wanted to bring joy to someone else. ‘Your blood pressure is elevated. You need medication.’ I was crushed. Everything I dreamed seemed to be over.”
‘I got pregnant. I can still hear my mom say, ‘Oh Jennifer!’ when I told her.’: Woman credits husband for ‘saving her life’ and finally receiving bipolar diagnoses
“What the people at church did to me was beyond what I even knew until MANY years later. I was a good kid. But I look at it differently now. I wasn’t bad; I had an illness.”
‘No wonder you don’t have friends.’ Did I do something wrong? I wanted to be someone’s ultimate best friend.’: After friendship struggles, woman realizes ‘I need to be my own best friend first’
“Everyone was fake or using me. I had NO ONE to talk to when I ended things. And who would even want to listen? ‘You’re going to have to just get over it.’ I was the only part of the tribe that wilted.”
‘In the middle of the night, the doctor said, ‘Ma’am, your husband needs emergency surgery right away.’ I was shaking uncontrollably.’: Couple embrace child-free life after near-death infertility surgery
“I was afraid to touch my husband. Nothing could prepare me for seeing my life partner, my love, on a ventilator because of how desperately I wanted to have a baby. This surgery was supposed to ‘help’ us.”
‘She’s not asleep yet,’ I heard on the operating table. A needle dug into my arm with urgency as an oxygen mask was placed over my mouth.’: Woman survives life-threatening child birth, ‘Life is too short not to show love’
“The nurses wheeled me into the cold, brightly lit operating room. Two days later, I awoke in the ICU surrounded by wires, beeping machines, and a picture of my baby I hadn’t even met. The birth of our first child was also the day I almost lost my life.”
‘I started to cry. You should never have to sit that far away from your friends.’: Mom talks social distancing and kids, ‘You don’t have to be emotionally distant’
“It’s just a couple kids sharing a table. There’s nothing I can do. But you should never have to sit that far away from your friends. I know it’s smart. I know it’s necessary. Then I stopped and I started to cry.”
‘Some days, I make myself the butt of the joke. I tell self-deprecating stories. Other days I wonder if I’ll only ever be the butt of the joke. Nothing more.’: Woman discusses ‘heights and the heartache’ of life
“I lie in bed, wondering if I’m just a lonely human with an active imagination. I hold a warm pile of laundry close to my chest and cry. We weren’t made to be all Instagram-filtered and newsfeed-algorithmed.”
‘That was my son. This precious boy was going to become OUR boy. We thought our hearts would burst.’: Woman shares international adoption journey, ‘We love that we get to be their parents’
“I froze and stared at him. It hurt to leave him. We were so close to having him forever. We returned home and waited. What we did not know was about a month after we came home, our second son was born.”
‘We received a knock on the door. ‘We’re taking all your things.’ The movers packed our belongings into cardboard boxes.’: Man ‘speaks his truth,’ advocates for housing and educational accessibility
“Tears streamed down my mother’s face as she begged them to stop. As I stood outside the place that defined my existence, my vision blurred. ‘I have to be strong,’ I thought, looking on at my 6 younger siblings, averting my eyes to hide my watery gaze. A family of 9, we were forced into a one-bedroom Motel 6. The eviction robbed more than just my shelter.”
‘You know we work at the same Kroger, right? I’m a cashier.’ His opening line didn’t impress me. Something told me to respond.’: Woman with hearing loss finds true love who allows her to be herself
“His demeanor was off-putting. I am deaf in my right ear, and wear a hearing aid in my left ear. It was one of the most excruciating first dates I’ve ever had. ‘I’m going back to his place, just so you know.’ I was unsure if he was alluding to something sexual.”
‘Can you take 3 siblings?’ You question yourself. Am I in over my head? Don’t let the pain stop you.’: Foster mom gives tips on how to be successful, ‘Love is what defines a family’
“Who would be calling at this time of night? ‘Would you be interested in taking them?’ Your heart quickens and your breath deepens, both to an uncomfortable level. ‘Three kids? Really?’ You feel obligated to say yes.”