“The nights I leave my comfy spot on the couch beside your Daddy to snuggle you instead. The nights I lie there, smelling your hair and studying your beautiful face. I will remember them for the rest of my life.”
‘You’ll never remember these nights. When I lie in bed, listening to you breathe, and question if someone, anyone, could do this better.’: Mom says ‘you’ll never remember these nights, but I will’
‘Last night, I held my phone so a wife could FaceTime her husband as he passed from COVID complications.’: Nurse urges ‘please consider your neighbors before airing your opinion’
“‘Thank you for being the best husband and father.’ She talked to him like none of us were in the room. She told him all the things she was going to miss without him. Although he couldn’t respond, you could see in his eyes he knew her voice.”
LGBTQ+ Patient Raises Awareness After Disallowed To Donate Plasma
“‘I’m gay.’ Their tone immediately changed. In a tense manner, they said, ‘Well, you won’t be donating today.’”
‘The doctor said, ‘It’s just a matter of time.’ She started reaching for things in the air. I thought it was the end.’: Mom of five-time leukemia warrior says ‘Ali’s light has remained a constant through it all’
“Holding down my screaming daughter for the third time that night felt like torture. Little did I know, that night was just the beginning. She kept looking at me confused, wondering why I was allowing someone to do this to her.”
‘Dear kids, someday you’ll need these AP Life Skills classes you didn’t know you signed up for.’: Mom says children are learning powerful ‘life lessons’ right now
“I’m not talking about math or spelling or reading. Someday, you’re going to need to know these expensive lessons life is teaching you right now.”
‘Someone drove by and shouted, ‘Get back in your house. You’re the reason people are dying!’ For sitting on my lawn. Alone.’: Wife of nurse says ‘have grace, you don’t know what others are going through’
“I haven’t kissed or hugged my husband who works on the frontlines as a nurse in weeks. Every night, I must reassure my 5-year-old that no, daddy’s not going to die. But when the lights go out, I worry about the same thing. There I was, instantly sobbing because someone decided to lash out on me for breathing air.”
‘Mommy?’ she whispered. ‘Why wasn’t Daddy wearing his superhero mask?’ My heart fell into my stomach. I knew where this was leading.’: Mom says ‘our babies never had to question our superpowers until now’
“‘I love you, Daddy!’ she said. ‘I love you, too, Baby Girl!’ Then she said, ‘Don’t get coronavirus, Daddy!’ He paused. My heart fell into my stomach.”
‘The toddler who threw an epic tantrum? He’s bored right now, and he’s picking up on everyone else’s emotions.’: Woman urges ‘love harder, we’re all in this together’
“The teenager who’s frustrated and full of attitude? She’s lonely and misses her friends. Your spouse who’s been short tempered? He’s carrying worries he’s too afraid to communicate. The friend who forgot to call back? She’s overwhelmed and just doing the best she can to get by right now.”
‘Today my husband to let a few of his best guys go. There’s only so much distance you can put between yourself and another person in his line of work.’: Couple says pandemic ‘has shown us how much we take for granted’
“My husband is considered essential and is still able to work. Everyone at his job is basically walking on eggshells. It’s hard not to worry about him being exposed and bringing the virus home to us. There’s only so much distance you can put between yourself and another person in his line of work.”
‘When this is over, I’ll let you pick the restaurant we dine at first. I promise I won’t complain, be picky, or be impatient if the food takes longer.’: Woman tells husband ‘let’s make the most with what we’ve got’
“Date nights were our peace in the beautiful chaos of family life – our time, just you and me, together. Date nights reminded us our marriage was a priority, before being daddy and mommy. I miss the romance, break from the ordinary, and the routine too.”
‘That could be us,’ I whisper. This time it was a young family guy. I look at him and see my husband, the father of my kids staring back at me.’: Woman with anxiety during pandemic says ‘today I’m making the choice to focus on what I can control’
“Scrolling through my feed, there’s another story. Phrases like ‘young’ and ‘picture of health’ are preceded by a date of death. My stomach drops to remind me that this photo was taken ‘just days before.’ I look at him and I see my husband, and the father of my children staring back at me.”
‘I drove by my grandchildren’s house to drop off something they love on their front porch. I knocked on the door, and backed away.’: Woman shares plea for kindness during pandemic, ‘Love, not anger, makes the world a better place’
“Has anyone else noticed people are angry? Get back to work. Stay home. Wear a mask. Don’t wear a mask. Stay inside. Get out and breathe some fresh air. Don’t post happy photos, people are suffering. Maybe you want to post what you think without fear of your Facebook ‘friends’ blasting you.”
‘My little sister came into my room bawling her eyes out. ‘Something is wrong in Mommy’s room. I heard screaming, a thud, and then nothing.’: Son reflects on mother’s domestic abuse ordeal, ‘No matter what demons you’re battling, you can overcome’
“Jay was a youth minister who had a church in my hometown. Everyone loved him. The only thing I heard was, ‘Don’t ever accuse me of anything ever again.’ I called the cops and grabbed my baseball bat. My shirt was soaked with my sweat and blood.”
‘The invite came three months before the actual wedding date. I waited and waited, but my father never responded.’: Woman says ‘those who love you will show up, you won’t even have to ask’
“I waited and waited, but nothing. Simply because my mom’s boyfriend was going to be there. He didn’t respond to my text, so I called. No answer. The man who my mom would marry a year later, not only showed up, but he danced with me. That is a real dad. Someone who shows up.”
‘We’ll call tomorrow, Daddy.’ He tested positive. She cries big heavy tears for her daddy she hasn’t seen in a month.’: Mom takes full custody of kids while officer dad battles coronavirus at work
“We are divorced but have 50/50 custody. He’s an essential worker in our state prison that has the most cases of COVID-19. And, they’re all in his unit. Last week, he tested positive. 7 days later he was ‘released’ and sent back to work. I see the pain in his eyes every time we go to hang up.”
‘I gave birth while my husband watched via Zoom and cried over the computer. Surreal, I know.’: Woman gives birth to baby boy alone, ‘Even in this crazy time, we are still making memories’
“He might be the most connected 1-week-old the world has ever seen. He had 200 of his nearest and dearest attend his virtual Bris.”
‘We sold our home and belongings. We were given orders to stay at home, except unlike many, home for us is a hotel room.’: Traveling family thanks hospitality workers, ‘No matter what, they take it in stride’
“To the young lady at the front desk that my husband probably scared to death as he ran downstairs at 3 a.m., desperately seeking new bedding: They said SIX feet, lady. Seeing this industry’s willingness to continue serving so many new faces makes them all very, very brave to me.”
‘I found myself sitting on the floor, sobbing. For each scream, he threw his head back into my sternum as hard as he could.’: Mom says ‘Coronavirus gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my son’
“It wasn’t until about two weeks ago when I was on the phone with my mom when I realized that the Kangaroo hadn’t tried to hurt me all day. Coronavirus gave me my son back.”
‘Going for a walk is not a crime. Don’t call the cops because your neighbor isn’t doing what you think they should be doing.’: Woman urges ‘we have to be all in this together’
“Don’t let this come between you. Your stress level is telling you it’s a good idea but in a few weeks your sanity will come back, and you will thank me.”
‘If you don’t come out of this with a new skill, you never lacked time, you lacked discipline.’ I am utterly horrified.’: Trauma psychologist says ‘what we need right now is self-compassion’
“I saw this phrase posted on my local yoga studio. What we need right now is more self-compassion. Not a whipping by some random sign that makes us feel worse about ourselves in the name of ‘motivation.'”
‘He said, ‘Mattie, where I send Hannah, she won’t know the language. Teach her MY language.’: Mother of special needs child finds comfort in faith, ‘Their purpose is greater than their diagnosis’
“She only knew 12 letters, struggled to write her name, and was fighting against a speech and learning delay. I was so afraid of what the next year would bring.”
‘You’re not essential, you just work with animals. That could never amount to helping humans.’: Vet technician says ‘they may not be humans, but we are just as important’
“I work 10-12 hours each shift, spending more time with your pets than with my own child. Remember this next time your pet is sick or breaks a bone and a human doctor can’t help. ‘Aw, I bet you get to cuddle all kinds of puppies!’ My job is not rainbows and fairy tales.”
‘He doesn’t have much time.’ Dylan was as fit as a fiddle. ‘What if I never get to see my brother again?’: Woman becomes perfect match for brother’s bone marrow transplant, ‘It was my turn to repay him’
“He had been rushed to the ER. I was confused. Dylan was as fit as a fiddle. Something about seeing Dylan morph into a completely different character sent fear and doubt through my body. The agony of waiting was almost unbearable. What if the transplant doesn’t work?”
‘You pray for the weekend to go by quickly, just so you can check in with them again. You dream of the day you can embrace them.’: Teacher says ‘my students became like my very own children’
“It was March. I started to feel the school year winding down and the lump in my throat growing. I put an app on my phone, counting down the days. Not because I was looking forward to summer, but because I wanted to make each day I had left count. We were together one day, and without warning, they were gone.”
‘She held my hand and asked, ‘Mama, can you please tell me what’s going on at the hospital? I’m scared.’ She’s 7 years old.’: Nurse mom asks others to realize ‘this isn’t some joke, this is real’
“There are people out there who are claiming this is a hoax, that it’s some made up BS. She’s had a mama who has worked in the ER her whole life, but she knows something is wrong. She’s pulled me aside twice now, asking me to stay home. ‘Mama, you have asthma and have a higher risk.’ She’s 7 years old. Let that sink in.”