‘You disgust me.’ I felt the barrel of his gun against the back of my head. This is the exact handgun I had purchased for him.’: Woman overcomes abuse, narrowly escapes death to ‘be a survivor’

“At that moment, I had given up. I knew if he took my life, I wouldn’t have to deal with the pain and suffering he had caused me for so long. In the split second that I had come to terms with what was going to happen, the gun fell from his hand and hit the floor. He slammed the door open, and left.”

‘I can’t walk, yet I’ve traveled to 23 countries, 80 cities. My husband carries me. Up stairs, up mountains, across the world.’: Woman paralyzed in scooter accident, husband’s love reminds her ‘anything is possible’

“We were heading home by scooter when we slipped. After I lost movement in my legs, I was afraid no one could ever love me like this…halved. I didn’t love myself. But he’s always remained by my side. You can lose almost everything, you can lose your legs, and maybe even your wheelchair, but nobody can take away your determination.”

‘My mom told me my dad was ‘gone.’ I fell to my knees. A nurse asked me to be ‘quiet.’: Daughter sells everything, lives nomadic life in search of ‘peace’ after father’s death to terminal cancer

“I woke up to a call from my brother. ‘Dad is really sick. He has cancer.’ Time stood still. ‘What am I supposed to do?’ In less than 2 months, he passed. My lifestyle has brought concern to others. ‘What do you mean you’re selling everything?’ ‘How are you going to live?’ ‘What about your careers?’ I was in the midst of a breakdown.”

‘My pregnancy crushed my stepkids. The mom and dad they’d known were gone, and now we were bringing a baby into their lives.’ Mom feels ‘remorse’ for bringing child into ‘complicated’ home

“I mourned that my daughter couldn’t be welcomed into the world with joyful innocence. She’d be born into a life of sharing Christmases and summer vacations. A life where daddy couldn’t tell mommy she was his first and only wife. I had to bury the dreams of what I THOUGHT motherhood looked like.”

‘You were conceived in rape.’ She was gasping for air. ‘I don’t know who your father is. I’ve never told anyone this before.’: Adopted woman learns truth about her past, feels guilty for her own abortions

“When I was 21, with two babies of my own, I was in my bedroom with this heaviness on my heart. I needed to know who my birth-father was. My birth-mom was only 14 when she had me, 13 when she was pregnant. I could sense such sadness in her voice. My heart sank. ‘It is not your fault. Thank you for your strength to tell me. I love you.’”

‘I’ll be fine, love you!’ I checked my phone for an ‘I’m safe’ text but none arrived. My heart went to my throat.’: Woman learns to cherish ‘the beautiful moments’ after husband’s paralysis

“As I heard him walk outside, I spoke the words that will forever ring in my head. ‘They are calling for rain today.’ Just 3 hours later, his pants were bloody from asphalt and his striped shirt was cut off of him as the EMT’s fought to save his life. My husband walked, for the last time.”

‘You don’t see what goes on behind closed doors. We love your family members as our own.’ Aged care worker explains she is not ‘incompetent,’ but ‘pressed for time’

“They don’t see us hold the hands of a man with Parkinson’s to ease his shakes. They don’t see us sing their favorite song quietly as we feed them breakfast. They don’t see us cry as we comb the hair of a resident who has just passed so they look presentable for their family. They don’t see us go home as a broken, shattered human who has seen more in one day than most people will ever see.”

‘We buckled him into his booster seat in the social worker’s car and watched them drive away.’: Foster parent’s emotional response after beloved 4-year-old goes home to biological father

“That night as we sat on the couch crying, I looked at the clock. It was 8:00, the time we’d usually take him to bed. ‘I hope he’s snuggled into bed after having his favorite book read to him,’ I said. ‘I don’t,’ my husband replied. ‘I hope his dad loves him so much, and missed him so badly that he’s still just holding him, and telling him how much he loves him.'”

‘Terminate one baby.’ My weak heart couldn’t handle triplets. But as a triplet myself, I wanted all three.’: Triplet births triplets against all odds, delivers 3 ‘healthy, amazing little miracles’

“My heart was operated on years ago. I was told pregnancy would be a risk. Now, my heart had to pump blood for 3 extra people! For the sake of my babies, I drove 7 hours for a ‘fetal reduction’. My husband and I couldn’t even look each other in the eye. 3 hours in, we started crying and decided to stop. I just couldn’t convince myself this was supposed to happen.”

‘I saw this picture of my teen daughter and her boyfriend. I cringed. I yelled. I demanded she take it off social media.’: ‘Infuriated’ mom changes her mind after she recalls ‘young love’ with her late husband

“As I opened my eyes and focused on the empty space next to me in bed, the space I once shared with the man I love, her dad, I couldn’t help but smile. I knew what that young love felt like. I hope my daughter and her boyfriend never worry. I hope they never pay attention to anybody who questions their truth.”