“I drank and pretty much slept with anyone–all while I was supposed to be being a mom to my 8-month-old son. My son was about to turn 1 and even though he didn’t know it, his own mother was getting ready to die, not getting ready for his party.”
‘We got pregnant after our first date.’: Woman details addiction journey after birth of son
‘You have cancer? Lemon water will cure you. You have cancer? Just think positive, only negative people die from cancer.’
“A loved one recently said, out of the blue, ’Christa, for insomnia, limit your screen time before bed, get exercise, and eat well.’ I looked at him, with one cocked eyebrow and said, ‘Yes, I’ve been doing those things.’ Thanks Captain Obvious.”
‘I remember screaming into the phone, ‘I need help!’ Please get me help! I don’t know what’s wrong with her.’ Minutes go by and he hasn’t called. I’m starting to really panic.’
“I remember everything getting quiet and realizing my daughter wasn’t crying or screaming any longer. The only sound was me crying. At this point, she is in my arms, up on my shoulder, but her face is nuzzled in my chest and I can’t see her.”
‘I finally turned to my mother, unsure of wanting to know the truth, and hesitantly asked, ‘Mom, am I going to die?’
“Before me, on a poorly lit screen, was a prognosis I never expected to read. Every website shattered my heart as I scanned the same words over and over, desperately hoping to read a different outcome.”
‘I will never forget her eyes. She looked directly at me, shouting to get the doctor. ‘What’s going on, what’s happening?’ ‘The cord is hanging out of you.’ ‘What does that mean?’
“I’m rolling down the hall looking at lights in the ceiling as I go by. I wake up and Jade’s standing there with Layla. But something isn’t right. I’m keeping a secret from everyone.”
‘It was massive, like carrying a lemon inside my boob. ‘Not me,’ I said. ‘No way, I have no family history of it.’ Now I was faced with another alarming decision. Boobs or no boobs?’
“I asked the doctor, ‘What happened to flat?’ He replied, ‘I thought you might change your mind.’ As I sat there blinking in awe, I thought to myself, ‘This guy is nuts, I can’t even speak.”
After 32 Years Of Hiding My Vitiligo, I’m Letting My True Beauty Shine
“My parents handed me a tube of foundation and told me to keep my secret hidden. I will no longer live in the shadows.”
‘I was told I was ‘switched at birth.’ I lost who I was, I was stripped of belonging. She kept saying, ‘I’m so sorry,’ like someone had died.’: Woman finds herself while searching for biological parents
“’I promise to help you find your father when you turn at 18.’ When the time came, she refused to help. She let me go on this wild goose chase when she knew the truth all along. I decided to take a DNA test.”
‘The doctors said, ‘Good luck. There is no cure.’ I didn’t think I was going to make it. My siblings were scared for me.’
“I felt so relieved when class was over. I’d quickly get in the car hoping no one would notice my mom still picked me, a 20 year-old adult, up from school. I was embarrassed and ashamed.”
‘I had two dads. The first was the love of my life. I asked my mother about my dad’s relapse. She simply said, ‘everything changed.’: Woman overcomes father’s alcoholism, codependent relationship
“I remember being in 5th grade, staying up late pouring over freshly printed car brochures to help him memorize car facts for a car salesman job. I will never forget the smell of those damn brochures. He was depressed. One night he cried, confessing to me he thought of ending his life.”
‘We’re sorry. We’ve done all we could.’ He was holding his 11-month-old daughter. He went stiff, making a gurgling sound.’: Medical examiner says father died after drinking energy drinks that ‘ultimately stopped his heart’
“My son had an energy drink then sat to enjoy his evening with his family. I was taking my shower when the call came in. It was my son’s fiancée. She rarely calls me, and was panicked. ‘Has Buddy ever had a seizure?’ I said, ‘No! Why do you ask?’ She stated, ‘I think he is having a seizure!’ He wasn’t sick. He had no health issues. His toxicology report came back negative to everything except stimulants.”
‘There is a baby, and there is a heartbeat.’ Those words sparked hope. Then, our doctor told us I should take it easy, and wait for my body to abort the baby. WHAT?! No.’
“There were more seizures, and this time it was Infantile spasms. He paused before asking, ‘Have you ever heard of this?’ My heart nearly stopped. There was no way. When we were matched with a puppy, they were instantly at peace. We knew, they were made for each other.”
‘A nurse latched a painful, angry piranha to my nipples. She didn’t notice I’d been crying. She said she’d help. She never came back.’: Mom urges ‘we are not just a vessel,’ encourages others to check new mom’s mental health
“I was asked hundreds of questions. All of them, about my baby. When a baby is born, so is a mother. So, ask us too, and ask us often, ‘Is everything okay?’”
Today I Gave My Daughter A Mental Health Day, And It Was My Best Decision Ever
“As soon as I picked up my 5-year-old, I could tell she was in one of her ‘moods.’ She was crying over everything, not being herself, and acting so uptight. So, I drew her a lavender bubble bath, gave her a face mask, and lit some candles.”
‘I asked my therapist when I would get ‘over it.’ I went from being pregnant with triplets, to hitting rock bottom. Two of my children died. I thought I was OK. I didn’t need someone to talk to.’
“I remember being hesitant. I wasn’t depressed, I was simply a mother longing for the children I would no longer hold in my arms. But, I’m the mother of two children who died, and I faced my own near-death experience, so I promised my husband I would see someone.”
‘Her exact words were, ‘He has a large birthmark on his back.’ The nurses looked at each other wide-eyed. I didn’t understand.’: Parents thrown ‘curve ball’ as son was born with ‘huge mole’ on his back
“By the time he was 2 weeks old, it had tripled in size. Then we got the worst news. The lump wasn’t just a lump. It was a tumor and it was cancerous. As my husband drove, I completely broke down.”
‘When you were born, I vowed to love you no matter what. I will continue to do that.’ I returned to school for the first time, as myself.’: Trans woman finally ‘living her truth,’ ‘I will never regret choosing my happiness’
“To others, I was in need of fixing. All my behaviors were deemed ‘wrong.’ In an attempt to make me more masculine and ‘grow out of it,’ I was placed in sports. I feared what I would face if I decided to be true to myself.”
‘How do you know when date night is over? When your wife tries to talk to you but her speech is so slurred you can’t understand her, and you realize half her face is drooping.’
“He asked me, ‘Is everything ok?’ I tried to answer him, but weird sounds came out.”
‘Squads and tribes are great and wonderful, but sometimes close-knit groups can turn into CLOSED-knit groups, leaving no room for newcomers.’
“When a new lady comes around with her cafeteria tray and every seat is already taken, this is a great misfortune. As a special needs mother, my children have taught me many things, but staying open for the ones who don’t look like me is at the top of the list.”
‘She’s going to be amazing.’ Her birth mom asked for nothing, even though I would have given her ANYTHING. As much as Finley was a perfect fit for our family, so was Lex.’
“It felt unnatural. Sitting across from her, passing her the pen, I was scared to make eye-contact for fear I’d feel too much guilt. The tears streamed down our faces. She was willingly giving us the precious life she created, and we were promising her to cherish it.”
‘I remember the anesthesiologist asking me, as he was administering the epidural, if I was nervous about the surgery. I hesitated, and responded, ‘Only for her.’
“I pleaded with her pediatricians to investigate further. I hung up the phone and immediately collapsed to the floor, crying uncontrollably.”
‘How many times are you going to wear that outfit?,’ one of my wife’s 4th graders asked her. She then gave her a smug, twisted-lipped look. It made me rage.’: Husband insists others need to ‘spend less time judging how people dress’
“I’ll be honest, this story gave me pause for a few reasons.”
‘He’d show up at church, or anywhere else I was going. Without warning, I’d feel a hand grabbing my shoulder.’: Woman overcomes years of stalking, PTSD to become health coach
“He surprised me with 21 red roses. It was the beginning of a horror story. He started showing up at my house in the middle of the night. He’d stroke my cheek and tell everyone I was his wife. The police didn’t take it seriously. ‘Didn’t you tell him to leave you alone? Do it again with more force!’”
‘Am I speaking to Stefany?’ I tell her yes. ‘I’ve been having an affair with your husband for 18 months.’: Woman discovers husband used ‘Ashley Madison’ dating service for affair
“My thought was that since I was wife #3, he certainly wouldn’t do anything as drastic as have an affair to screw up our relationship. I ask her how the two of them met and she says that’s the one thing she won’t tell me. For some unknown reason, I blurt out ‘Ashley Madison?’ She tells me yes, that’s how they met. I’m screaming, my heart is beating a mile a minute.”
‘What?! NO. I don’t ever want to lose this. I was suddenly very protective of it. I want it with me. Forever. Wedding day and all.’
“Weeks into knowing each other, I received the first ever ‘Goodnight, beautiful’ text from him. My heartbeat quickened. Unknowingly, I covered my shy smile with my hand. But to both of our shock, I instantly and abhorrently rejected the offer.”