“Jason ended up in the ER. Within hours, we were told, ‘He has a 5-7 years left to live.’ Or so we thought. Only 14 months later, I’d attend a grief camp with my kids where I would meet Jason #2. We kept our relationship secret, at my request. I adored him. I was nervous whether my in-laws and friends would accept my new love.”
‘I noticed changes in Jason’s behavior. He was tired and depressed all the time. His headache would just not go away.’: Widow re-marries after loss, ‘Celebrate the good every single day’
‘So we just drove all the way here to not get helped?’ I said ‘uggghh’ loudly enough for her to hear as we walked away.’: Mom stresses importance of owning your mistakes, ‘Those little eyes are watching you’
“I never knew the most impactful apology I would give would be to a complete stranger, but it happened last night.”
‘My hair fell out. I hadn’t had a period in 9 months. My daughter said with tears in her eyes, ‘I’m scared you’re never going to get better!’: Personal trainer overcomes alcohol addiction with exercise
“‘You have very little time left.’ I was non-responsive, my alcohol level was 0.32. It was not-so-silently killing me. I was fighting to survive.”
‘We need to dislodge the baby. It’s stuck in the neck of your womb.’ The gynecologist took me into a room. I felt physically sick.’: Mom births miracle rainbow baby after miscarriage
“I sat down on the toilet, bleeding. ‘Stay where you are. Do not flush. We’re sending an ambulance.’ As the gynecologist explained how small babies are at this stage, she started to roll my baby between her fingers. I couldn’t believe it. With the shock and upset of everything going on, I said nothing.”
‘The doctor said, ‘She’s bleeding out!’ I couldn’t breathe. I was told it’s ‘anxiety.’: Woman diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy during twin rainbow pregnancy, ‘I’m one of the lucky ones’
“I thought I wouldn’t be here to raise my babies. I remember thinking I was dying as I closed my eyes. I’m one of the lucky ones.”
‘My father was unfaithful and left my mother for another woman. I wanted my life to end.’: Young woman blogs about her depression to help fight the stigma, ‘I am finally able to live my truth’
“I wasn’t eating. Things that once made me happy no longer did. I erased all those years from my memory.”
‘I had visions of these lovely children who would follow the rules. Turns out, these little people don’t really care much about my vision.’: Mom learns important lesson about children, ‘I’m not in control’
“I picked up a million shoes and socks and empty wrappers and stray toys from the floor then washed breakfast dishes and gathered clothes that are sitting BESIDE the hamper to shove into the washer. And my eyes came to rest on the empty toilet paper roll.”
‘I was ‘crazy’ for buying disposable diapers. The foods I fed my daughter were ‘wrong.’ I told myself she was just strong-willed.’: Woman urges ‘if they don’t raise you up, they are NOT your people’
“She started screenshotting my texts and making fun of me. Our friendship went south. Then, her friends and family started contacting me. Looking back, I realize every time I ignored the red flags, I was setting myself up for how things ended between us.”
‘I was prepared for the hurts that call for a kiss and cuddle. I wasn’t prepared for the hurts I couldn’t fix.’: Mom talks parenting during trauma, ‘It isn’t something you can navigate, it is theirs’
“I thought I could protect my child well enough. A trusted big person took advantage of them.”
I Will Not Be Like Derek Chauvin
“I am a black man. I am a police officer. I am ME.”
My Biological Father Had No Idea I Existed, Until We Met 35 Years Later
“He gave me a chance. He opened his heart and his home and allowed me to get to know the rest of his family. And for that opportunity, I will be forever grateful.”
‘Oh, that poor baby! Why don’t you do something with her nappy hair?’ The other kids weren’t allowed to play with me, the ‘little mixed girl.’: Mom to bi-racial family details experiences with racism
“My mom always carried a brush and detangler. She still carries them with her everywhere she goes, 26 years later. I remember sitting on the floor in my living room, my mom meticulously brushing for hours, crying because of the comments. I wanted to be like the other kids. ‘This is just the way it is, honey.'”
‘He screamed in frustration and my heart broke into a thousand pieces. ‘It won’t be like this forever.’: Mom shares difficulty explaining quarantine to her child, ‘How is he expected to understand?’
“’Mommy, I’m just sad and don’t know why.’ My heart broke for him. There were no goodbyes.”
‘One day, he will fit the description. How will I protect my autistic son from his skin?’: Special needs mom urges ‘it is not my responsibility to end racism’
“Caleb is autistic and struggles with comprehending and engaging in conversation. My reality is that I can’t have race conversations. I don’t know if he will ever understand.”
‘I watched more than a few of my friends commenting negatively on how they look now. Girl, stop glorifying your past self just for being skinnier.’: Woman reminds us ‘comparison is the thief of joy’
“Maybe your waistline grew this past decade (GUILTY, FRIEND), but so did your family. I fear for a time when my daughter would choose to comment only on her WEIGHT in her joyful photos. People preach about the importance of self-love and ignore the elephant in the room.”
‘I got pregnant. My father said I ‘ruined his reputation.’ A black family was not welcomed.’: Woman in interracial marriage says ‘my family is a symbol of unity’
“People would approach our daughter and ask if she was lost and needed help finding her mommy. We were followed and harassed by cops sometimes for miles while we drove. They demanded to know if he was a gang banger.”
‘His skin crawls, he can’t communicate, and he never sleeps. I was going to ‘fix’ my son, it would not win.’: Mom of Autistic son details acceptance of his diagnosis; ‘I’m proud of him’
“I isolated myself and refused to leave the apartment. I canceled therapies, stopped cleaning and cooking, sobbed, and threw things. I finally emerged from the fog.”
‘I found myself drenched in sweat in the middle of the night. The doctor said, ‘You look perfectly healthy, but on paper you would terrify any doctor.’: Woman details brave journey with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Addison’s disease
“My doctor came in, her tone solemn and harsh. She was about to give me a serious dose of reality. She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Listen, people with this have died from a minor dental procedure. If not treated and monitored properly, it will kill you.’ I was 35 years old, trapped in an 80-year-old body.”
‘I left widow groups because my loss doesn’t get compassion like others.’: Woman reflects on overdose awareness day, ‘I loved him and he loved me’
“People ask me all the time if I knew. What I knew was that I loved him. I spend a lot of time asking who is to blame.”
‘Then cancer struck. It’s hard to be single in a sea of married people. Friends dragged me to the next step.’: Widow is grateful for ‘friend family’ who carry her through life
“They stand by me through the hardest times of my life. They have most recently watched me lose myself in someone who was not worthy of my time. They include us in family gatherings, and their husbands step up when my daughter needs a father figure in her life.”
Reflections From A Token Black Friend
“There is no escape. There is no level of success that will spare you. We are black men, and that is all that matters to some. Many white people do not understand their level of ignorance — especially the good ones.”
‘He was 9 years older. I thought he was my everything. As soon as I hit the top of the stairs, my heart started racing. ‘I love you. Something is wrong.’: Woman with Tachycardia starts weight loss journey
“I started sweating and it didn’t stop. I should have called 911 but I called my husband. I told him I loved him and something was wrong. May 20th was the day my life changed forever. I never believed I was allowed to smile or be happy because no one was ever nice to me.”
‘Is he walking yet?’ I got defensive. I gave a long-winded response, explaining everything else he was doing as if it were an issue.’: Mom urges ‘don’t rush milestones’
“He is 12 months old and still not walking. Why is it we want to rush the milestones instead of embracing them being babies for just a little bit longer?”
‘In my rearview mirror I saw a small, dark SUV turn around and follow me. ‘What’s going on?’ The police jumped out and drew their guns.’: Military veteran details experiences with racism in and out of uniform
“I was told, ‘Your vehicle matches the description of a robbery.’ He cuffed me as two more squad cars pulled in front of my house. I explained to them I wasn’t the man they were looking for and to please check the security cameras. They handcuffed me in front of my kids. Not in my military uniform, I was no longer one of the ‘good ones.'”
‘We received an email out of the blue: ‘It’s time, you can bring your children home now.’ I choked back tears. We waited 22 months.’: Couple adopt two children into ‘forever family,’ now family of 7
“10 minutes after turning off the light, I whispered, ‘Are you asleep?’ Stephen turned the light back on. We had to make a decision about bringing two children into our family solely based on pictures. ‘These were the children God sent to us, so, what is there to discuss?’ That was the moment they began to grow in our hearts.”