“I was your typical ‘daddy issues’ case with a strong desire for male attention. Predators know what to look for and I must have had a flashing billboard promoting my willingness to please. I was told, ‘This can’t be true. People would notice!’ I’ve allowed fear to keep me silent.”
‘Age doesn’t matter, you consented.’ It wasn’t a stranger or a creepy cousin. It wasn’t forceful, or a textbook case of victim and prey.’: Child abuse survivor cautions others during quarantine, ‘Home isn’t always safe’
‘How much more can we handle?’ Being a military spouse was the toughest part of my life…or so I thought.’: Military spouse learns to ’embrace the suck’ after daughter diagnosed with rare cancer
“It’s funny how major life moments seem to always occur right before or during a long deployment. I was alone when we received my son’s diagnosis, and I was alone to figure out what to do next.”
‘The sonographer said, ‘There’s a foot in your vagina.’ I didn’t hear my baby cry. ’Is she alive?’: Woman gives birth to micro-preemie, ‘My life plans didn’t include a NICU stay during a pandemic’
“I was in a daze. ‘Your baby needs to come out right now.’ I lay on the operating table alone while they sewed my now empty womb back together. 3 hours later, they told us, ‘She might not survive it.’ Our hearts broke. None of it seemed right.”
‘His 2-year-old sister hit him. ‘I don’t know how you do it, you’re so strong.’ If it was a husband, I’d be told to pack up and leave.’: Mom of autistic child says ‘most days are hard, not just quarantine days’
“If it was a husband or boyfriend doing the things my son does – I’d be told to pack my little children up in the middle of the night and leave the abusive relationship. My child is amazing. I will tell anyone who will listen. But I need to keep it real.”
‘The cashier said, ‘Do you think it’s safe to get high with your kids?’ It took me by surprise. Some people don’t smoke just to get high.’: Pro-marijuana mom says ‘these are the most stress-free days we’ve had’
“I remember the first time I wore this sweater out in public. I was at the mall, surrounded by tank tops that said ‘I’m a wine mom’ and ‘nothing gets done until my wine glass is empty.’ But my sweater was definitely one of the most looked at things, probably because I had my two young kids with me.”
‘A woman stole my picture and used it on Facebook, saying it was her own son who died. This sweet child who passed in my arms, was stolen.’: Grieving woman victim to social media theft urges ‘child loss is real’
“She gave him a different name and shared details of her fake son’s short life. He existed. He is more than just a picture. I feel numb.”
It’s okay to say, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’ It’s okay to actually freak out.’: Woman says ‘it’s okay to not be okay’ during quarantine
“It’s okay if you lose your patience in between a meeting and cooking a meal and setting up circle time and being asked 1,000 questions about snacks and TV shows and playing tag outside and trying to think of where you last saw their sneakers.”
‘I recorded videos to be played at my funeral. Something was waiting to latch on and rob me of my years.’: Fanconi Anemia patient puts embryo transfer on hold during Covid-19, ‘I want to be around for the rebuilding of this world’
“What if I got ill while pregnant? I love this collection of cells with all my being. I asked my doctor to tell us what to do. ‘The risk is just too high.’ There is sincere heartbreak in this decision.”
‘She was abandoned in a ditch down the road. ‘I don’t know what to do.’ He was begging for help. We held our breath.’: Abandoned dog finds loving home, ‘It’s finally her time to enjoy life!’
“She looked like an alien creature. She stunk, she couldn’t see, and she bled all over our couch. We held our breath for the next 36 hours until our vet opened—we were afraid Lainey would succumb to her infections. She never had a chance to be a puppy.”
‘I heard footsteps. She was crouched down and started to cry. Her beautiful face full of fear, and her little lip curled.’: Mom struggling with anxiety says ‘I forgot to slow down and be kinder to myself’
“I was ready to yell, no BLAST whoever was there. I felt RAGE. Rage. I opened the door and I saw my little girl, Sofia. ‘You scare me mommy.’ Her normally cheeky smile was replaced with big brown eyes full of fear.”
‘I’m about to deliver. Can you take my baby home with you? I’ve been diagnosed with Covid-19.’ They were virtually strangers.’: Teacher rescues newborn while family battles Covid-19
“‘If the baby goes home with us, the outcome will be tragic.’ She had only known this family since the beginning of the school year, and it was only because their 7-year-old was her student. They were virtually strangers to one another. And yet, my friend did what truly good people do. She said yes.”
‘We thought it was a double ear infection. ‘Your child has a mass in her brain.’ I tried to hold back tears.’: 8-year-old gymnast diagnosed with brain cancer, ‘She was the bravest kid’
“As we walked into the ER, we did not expect to get the news we did. We thought she just needed fluids.”
‘He was young but very sick. He was intubated, on multiple pressure drips, sedation and pain medications. She told me how he was OK just a few days ago.’: Nurse details recovery of stranger with Covid-19
“His eyes shot wide open and he looked at me with as much joy as someone in his condition could. I told him his wife and daughters loved him and are rooting for him. He squeezed my hand and then gave me a thumbs up.”
‘I’m going to tell him to stop.’ Our son said the words I dreaded. I prayed he would sleep through this.’: After divorcing alcoholic husband, woman says ‘I have hope for love and happiness on my own terms’
“I heard him say, ‘Wake up mother f**kers, it’s time to clean.’ I knew this was bad. Then, I heard a loud bang. Then, another bang. I could hear him, soundly mildly amused. Suddenly, I felt I was being stared at.”
‘The bullying from doctors was scarring. I felt a lump and started to shake. My self-esteem was rocked.’: Woman battles aggressive breast cancer after serious arm injury, ‘The harder it got, the more people showed up’
“The nurse I was assigned to made fun of my face painting and I got incredibly sick. I stood next to our car, afraid I would fall over while I screamed, ‘NOT ME!’ over and over again in broad daylight. I asked him one question, ‘Am I going to die?’ He didn’t answer.”
‘Who’s going to be my mommy?’ That’s the question I was asked from a 4-year-old little boy.’: Foster parent recalls difficult moment with foster child, ‘You never know when you say ‘yes’ what the outcome will be’
“I can remember several times telling my husband I didn’t know if I could keep doing it with this child. This particular boy proved to be the child who would rock our family. He had only been living with us for a month when he asked that pivotal question.”
‘I kept saying, ‘she’s beautiful,’ over and over. I knew I was giving birth to death.’: Mom and siblings honor baby born sleeping, ‘Thinking she’s been forgotten is excruciating’
“A sickening feeling took over and my chest tightened when the attending physician walked in. I could see bad news written on everyone’s faces, but I still didn’t believe it. We were left with ashes in a cardboard box.”
‘My little sister and brother were taken to a foster home. They were only 5 and 3 years-old. They were so scared.’: Woman recounts journey to becoming a foster parent ‘we needed to take one step at a time’
“My eleven-year-old self ran to my bedroom, fighting back tears. Fast forward 20 years. I didn’t think my husband, Jeff would go for it. I didn’t remember seeing an advertisement on tv for foster parents but there it was. I still didn’t say anything. But he did.”
‘What’s happening to our baby?’ His eyes pinning, we watched in horror as he became unresponsive.’: Twin diagnosed with Sturge-Weber, ‘Our life is a beautiful mess just like everyone else’s’
“His seizures came ROARING back with a vengeance. We unwillingly checked back into hell. We sat by our baby boy’s bedside in a state of utter despair, as he was intubated and unconscious.”
‘I cooked three meals a day. The house was clean. My husband came in the door knowing he was getting a home-cooked meal.’: Widow urges ‘nothing is promised’ after husband’s battle with colorectal cancer
“We knew it was coming. He was tired. His body had fought so hard. I craved the routine. In the end, all we had was love. There was no schedule, no bill due, no job that was more important than that. Nothing I could’ve done was going to change the outcome.”
‘If you are having to fight for a place at the table, if you are having to beg for an invitation, those are not your people.’: Woman urges ‘you deserve to belong’
“The table that is meant for you, will have an open chair.”
‘While I sit at home, worried about the children under my roof, you sit at home worried about the children under many roofs.’: Mom urges to teachers ‘give yourself some grace’
“This was not one of the classes that you sat through to get your degree. No matter what you do, you will never be enough for some. But please remember, for some, you are everything.”
‘Ma’am I don’t know if they informed you, but we’re sending detectives now.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Michael did not make it.’: Woman loses partner to active shooter
“I saw them put the shirt over his face. I remember his body just being so cold but somehow, he still had that smirk on his face I fell in love with. I was taken to a cop car where I was held waiting for a homicide investigator. Later that morning, a very tall, dark-headed man walked towards me in a long trench coat. Everything was a blur.”
‘I was called an ‘ugly spotted dog.’ Some of the players refused to touch my hands.’: Woman embraces Bathing Trunk Nevus, ‘I was born to stand out’
“At least 80 percent of my body is covered in birthmarks. My mother told people they were ‘angel kisses.’ Sometimes I’d think, ‘What if I looked normal?’ But what is normal? I was born to stand out.”
‘She’s just too sick.’ I kept telling her how much I loved her. I thanked her for choosing me. I could not protect her anymore.’: Mom grieves loss of newborn baby, ‘I will forever have Natalia as my angel’
“I remember my doctor’s face as she quietly said to the nurse, ‘We’re at five! We’re going now!’ My baby was breech. She wasn’t ready. Up until this point, she was safe with me. I knew after this moment, I could not protect her anymore.”