“‘Why? Why now?’ Alex had just become a dad. I couldn’t imagine my life without Alex. I didn’t know how I would raise our son alone and it killed me to think Ezra would never fully know his dad. I was watching my husband slowly die of cancer.”
‘Something had changed. He’d never be the same again. I came undone. I was losing my husband.’: Mom loses husband to cancer shortly after giving birth
‘I didn’t tell her. I never told her. What if she didn’t know how much I loved her?’: Woman loses best friend in tragic car accident
“I was 12 when I met the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I noticed a tall, skinny, blue eyed girl with curly blonde hair and a smile that could light up the world. It was 10:45 p.m. when I heard the words ‘Ashley’s gone. She’s dead.’ Ashley was so skinny, she flew out of her seatbelt and was thrown into the back seat of her car.”
‘Her pupils became dilated and dark. She started wetting the bed, baby talking. My once happy daughter became angry and rude.’: Girl diagnosed with PANDAS after months of turmoil, ‘No one knows your child better than you do’
“Her eyes turned dead and hateful, and she began laughing at things that weren’t funny. If she was forced to make a decision as simple as what shirt to wear, she would rage and scream, ‘I DON’T KNOW!!!’ I had to explain to her 5-year-old sister why her sibling didn’t want to play with her anymore. ‘She’s very sick right now.’ It started as the flu, but my instincts knew better.”
‘No eyebrows and eyelashes,’ she said. I hadn’t noticed his lack of hair. She ran her hand across his sweet face. There was a concern.’: Mom learns of son’s rare CFC syndrome disorder, but keeps ‘pushing forward’
“Our midwife came in and hugged me. ‘How are y’all doing?,’ she asked. It was all too much. What did she mean by ‘abnormalities?’ I stopped her and asked. That’s when the rest of the conversation disappeared from my memory. I would NEVER let this define Nolan.”
‘But she is here Mommy,’ my 4-year-old replied. Puzzled and speechless, I just looked at her little face. ‘Meema is here,’ she stated. My daughter taught me a valuable lesson.’
“Out of the blue, one early morning, my daughter asked me, ‘Do you miss Meema?’ Just hearing her name is enough to stop me in my tracks. ‘Of course, I miss her,’ I replied. ‘What do you miss?’ She asked. ‘I miss her here.’ I said. My heart felt heavy.”
‘My phone rings. ‘I don’t have time for this. I need to get my kids.’ Then my mouth dropped. We were greeted by 2 officers as we drove down the long gravel driveway.’
“I had already popped a bunch of pills and drank a bunch of Vodka. ‘I want to see him!’ I screamed, shaking profusely. My mom said, ‘No, you don’t. He shot and killed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun in his mouth.’ I look at my phone. It reads, ‘I love you.’ 6:24 pm.”
‘Your grandson looked around the table and announced he was going to take over your job. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked him. He smirked. You’d be so proud.’
“I catch a glimpse of you when I look at myself in the mirror. It takes my breath away at first. You died six weeks too soon.”
‘My low was mommy fighting at me. She YELLED.’ He said in a firm and frustrated voice. My husband looked at me. I was mortified. I felt ashamed.’
“We were sitting around the dinner table sharing our ‘highs and lows’ of the day. Everyone was laughing. It felt like such a good meal conversation. It was Sawyer’s turn to share his high and low. ‘Alright buddy, you’re up.’ It got quiet.”
‘We found McKenzie in the bathroom. She hung herself. Get here now!’ It was too late.’: 9-year-old girl commits suicide after relentless bullying, family’s grief inspires ‘anti-bullying’ foundation
“They kept calling her ‘ugly and black’. At first, she wasn’t afraid. But it got to the point where too many were joining in and it became a daily occurrence. During the drive, I prayed for a miracle as my son slept behind me. I just wanted to see her. To make sure she would be okay. But I’d never get to see her alive again. Now the only way I can ever be with her again is at a grave site. McKenzie Adams. I will not let here name die.”
‘They would only keep me if I agreed to do electroconvulsive therapy. People warned me. I was told I shouldn’t do it. I felt I had no other option. To me, it was this or death.’
“I remember being rolled into an operation room while lying in a hospital bed. I looked up at the ceiling and prayed this would work. I was nervous. Quickly, the anesthesia knocked me out. I received over 10 treatments. My body ached, but not as much as my soul. I longed for peace.”
‘An overwhelming feeling came over me. I put my car in park and ran upstairs. After 20 seconds, a faint line appeared. Suddenly, I am bawling. I told myself to calm down.’
“The timer went off. I patted my belly. ‘You did it! Well done!’ It was time to take the first step in doing what I’d been thinking about for quite some time. When the nurse walked in with those papers, I went straight to the bathroom and sobbed. I walked toward the dreaded exit. I had to say goodbye.”
‘When we lost her, we lost our way completely. The day she died, my heart didn’t break – it disintegrated.’: Baby dies of SIDS at daycare; family heals by choosing to ‘make the world a kinder, more loving place in her name’
“Our family of 4 was complete the day Scarlett came into the world. When we lost her, we lost our way. Our bouncing, baby girl died of SIDS at daycare just 2 weeks after I went back to work. The hospital staff literally held me up as I watched them work on her tiny, lifeless body. Deep into my grief, I had a realization; Scarlett would never want this for me. Her time on Earth was short, but her impact is undeniable.”
‘I asked my wife if I was her best friend. She gave me a twisted, ‘I’m confused by your question’ face and said, ‘Well… yeah.’
“‘Why do you ask?’ she said. I didn’t know exactly how to respond.”
‘The first time my child was made fun of, he was 5 months old. I never excepted them to target a baby.’
“I’ll never forget where we were: the deli line at our local grocery store. I had just ordered a pound of rotisserie smoked turkey and looked over to find a middle-aged woman snickering and pointing at my son. I ran out of the store before the tears came.”
‘My girl looked at us, tears in her eyes. ‘I don’t get a baby brudder?’ My heart shattered.’: Mom details ‘adoption roller coaster’ in the wake of father’s tragic death
“She’s chosen you!’ My husband and I sat outside the room and stared at each other, about to open a door that’d change the rest of our lives. We took each other by the hand, flashed timid smiles. As we entered, I could feel that something was off. I could see cars driving, people walking, life moving by. As for me, time seemed to stand still.”
‘I borrowed my friend’s car. When I opened the glove box to get some change, a book fell onto the floor. It read, ‘This one goes out to the one I love!’ I was dumbfounded.’: Woman urges ‘you will find someone who will treat you right’ after learning of husband’s infidelity
“Honestly, I was shocked. She had shown no interest in anyone since her youngest child was killed. I skimmed over it, just looking for names. I found one. This guy had the same name as my husband! Heart pounding, I backed up a few pages. The entire thing was a journal. I could feel my stomach in my feet.”
‘Oh, I would NEVER do that to you,’ they’ll laugh and promise. ‘I love you.’ Yes. They will. It’s not matter of if, but when. I want friends who are good. Period.’
“I don’t want friends who are good to me, and then treat the waitress like garbage. I don’t want friends who are good to me, and then run down their spouse. I don’t want friends who are good to me, and then center their conversation around petty gossip, who they’re mad at this week.”
‘We almost lost her. Her feet were the size of Starbursts, and hands the size of Goldfish crackers. She was so tiny, but man was she feisty. Our girl was fearless.’
“I was lying in bed watching TV. I got up to go to the bathroom and I felt a huge gush of water. I was 22 weeks pregnant. Bryan wasn’t home, so I called my mom and she came over to drive me to the hospital, thinking I was just overreacting. A few hours later, the doctor confirmed it.”
‘My feelings for Kyle began to change. Shortly after, we had a little surprise. I found out I was pregnant.’: Woman remarries after losing husband to alleged drunk driver
“’Amber, you need to listen to me. You need to stay in the car.’ I opened his phone and saw the message. ‘Truck is down.’ That was their name for my husband. ‘Get Kyle!’ I screamed.”
‘This will be the last time we see each other,’ she said, tears in her eyes. I looked at her, puzzled. ‘Don’t be so dramatic.’: Woman overcomes years of emotional abuse
“On my wedding night, she grabbed me by the shoulders. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow at the house.’ Little did I know, these words were going to be our last. She decided to go out with a bang, turning what was supposed to be a joyous day into a painful one. She couldn’t bear to see me happy.”
‘There’s one season that really brings out my working mom guilt. Hint, hint, it’s the same as swimsuit season.’
“The teachers are counting down, the students are hyping up, the pools are about to open, and everyone’s ready for some good summer fun! Everyone except those of us who don’t get a break. The faint tune of the ice cream truck on a Tuesday afternoon is all the gut-punch it takes to make my eyes swell with tears.”
‘I hopped on a plane by myself. 1,500 miles from home, I sat on a stretcher, determined to help a stranger become a mom. I was REALLY doing this.’: Woman donates uterus to help family battling fertility
“I waited, patiently, for someone that needed me. I honestly never really expected to hear back. Then, it came. Before she was even able to tell me all of the risks associated with the surgery, I knew I was all in. This was my purpose.”
‘He wanted me to get a second opinion. ‘Things like this don’t happen to people your age.’ All the findings from the ultrasound lined up.’: Mom spends 19 hours with son with Trisomy 13, ‘We can learn to celebrate every moment’
“When our oldest son saw him, fear set in. He was scared. He loved him dearly, but seeing my son afraid of his baby brother is something I’ll never forget.”
‘My husband and I were in the Dominican Republic. We took a private horseback riding tour around the island. It was everything you’d think it would be.’: Mom learns important life lesson on vacation
“So, I made a comment just like that to our guide, about his luck to live in such paradise. But what he said in response really struck me.”
‘He caught me off guard. ‘Let’s meet.’ Weeks later, the inevitable happened. My fairy tale was under attack. My sorority sisters called the police, who brought me to the hospital. It’s all hazy.’
“I started to see signs all around me. It seemed as though clues were everywhere and everyone was in on it. I had no words, but the real me was crying out, ‘What is going on?!’ I couldn’t explain what was happening to me. My mind was stripped of everything.”