“We lived on a military base where my husband was assigned as an active duty Marine. On a day which had started just like every other day of my life, my life changed forever.”
‘The doctor is in his Battle Dress Uniform and is straddling me on the exam table. The surgeon told me, ‘you have the best cancer.’ I would learn later how wrong he was.’
‘I was 15 years old when I found out I was pregnant. I woke up one day, went to my email to see a subject line: ‘Looking for Bonnie Perry?’: Teen mom’s reunion with daughter she gave up for adoption
“I almost threw it away unread, because I was certain it was another detective wanting my money. But I opened it, and read: ‘I am Bonnie’s sister. My mother would like to talk to you.’”
‘There’s a problem in our relationship.’ My father stopped the car. I had an instant sick feeling. In a blink, my hero was gone.’: Woman overcomes abandonment issues, sexual trauma, ‘I can finally stand tall after 36 years’
“At age 13, I fell into a relationship with an older man. He carefully groomed me and became the father figure I was missing. He showered me in gifts and affection. But there was a price to pay. He would follow my school bus and watch me get off. He controlled my every move. Every week, I prayed I’d be the long-lost child reunited with her daddy.”
‘I have a dirty little secret. We all had it. It started out innocently enough. It was the worst 3 weeks of my life and I don’t wish this torture on my worst enemy.’
“It was May of last year. My oldest had earned perfect attendance and we were so proud and excited. My husband and I work full time and we have 3 kids, so the fact that everyone had been healthy all school year was incredible. Life was good. And then, it invaded our life.”
My Daughter Was Born Without Eyes, But She Is The One Teaching Me To See
“I saw her in my dreams with big brown eyes. ‘I think she may be blind.’ Not only was she completely blind, but she also didn’t have eyes! To actually not have eyes seemed impossible. We went home thinking that blindness would be Evely’s only struggle. Boy, were we wrong.”
‘I couldn’t sleep laying down anymore, I couldn’t laugh without gasping for air. I was dying. I was 22 and writing a will in case anything happened to me.’
“I was so busy moving forward I wasn’t even aware my mind was stuck. A few months afterward, the actual nightmares began. I would try to sleep and flashbacks and memories bombarded me. I cried every night for weeks. I knew I needed help.”
‘I wanted to find my biological parents. My mom told me ‘no.’ It was a closed adoption. Soon after, a mail order DNA test caught my eye.’: Woman ‘stuck between 2 worlds’ embarks on search for family names
“On top of being adopted and feeling different, I WAS different. With my dark hair, green eyes, and short stature, I stood out. I remember looking at pictures, my family laughing about how all their noses matched. I couldn’t participate in the conversation. I felt like an outsider. My husband and I decided it was time. I sent it off.”
‘We were about to see our baby. We were filled with so much hope. But our world was about to come crashing down. The lab tech was very quiet. I thought she was having a bad day.’
“The doctor said our daughter wouldn’t be able to feed or dress herself, she would be a ‘burden to society’ and would most likely ‘end up in an institution.’ I believed him. He pushed for termination and never once told us anything positive. We couldn’t be more proud of the little lady she is.”
‘I was a prisoner to thinness. I’ve gained 75 pounds. But something miraculous happened.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder after sexual trauma
“I was 6 when I wore my first bathing suit in a beauty competition. I was 8 when my dance instructor told my mom I was too chubby. I was 15 when I became addicted to diet pills. After seeing myself go through so much to bring my children into the world, I now know that worthiness is my birthright.”
‘I was prepared for surgery. Panic took over. I counted the tiles on the floor to keep from having a major panic attack. All I could think about were my two sweet babies at home. 3. 2. 1…and I was asleep.’
“It was a quiet dinner; not many words were exchanged. We just sat together and acknowledged what was coming. He held my hand and made sure I drank and ate whatever I wanted. When we were done, I went home to feelings of intense physical pain. I didn’t want to go to the ER. I just had to wait.”
‘I looked straight at my husband. ‘Why isn’t he crying?’ He was like a wet sponge. Within seconds, he coded blue.’: Mom births baby with centronuclear myopathy, ‘I will do everything in my power to give him a full, happy life’
“My husband gripped my hand firmly and hugged me. ‘Please take care of our boy. Do anything you need to make sure he’s going to be ok.’ I reached out to hold his little hand. He couldn’t even grip it. His eyes were unable to open. He couldn’t close his mouth. He just lay there. The geneticist told us, ‘These types of cases very rarely live to see their 6-month birthday.’ He then shook my hand and left. I was in literaly hell.”
‘It’s a bambino!’ I was like, ‘what??’ All I saw was all the HAIR she had! Then 5 seconds later, she was whisked way to the NICU.’: Parents shocked by daughter’s Cornelia De Lange Syndrome diagnosis
“When I first looked at her, I knew something was different. I asked my husband, ‘What did you think when you went to see her?’ He replied, ‘She’s just so perfect and beautiful.’ I couldn’t shake what was in the back of my mind.”
‘I went to my doctor to get an ultrasound of my abdomen. The results sent my world into a spiral. I was in complete shock. Was this the end for me?’
“We all have that inner voice that tells us when something is wrong. Something in your gut. Mine was saying this news wasn’t going to be good. The gynecologist came in, sat next to me on the bed, and said, ‘I’m sorry kiddo.'”
‘What have you been up to?’ I bumped into an old friend. ‘Rehab.’ I laughed, thinking it was a joke.’: Childhood friends reunite and overcome addiction together
“‘I don’t look the same as when you last saw me. I’m not doing too well,’ I said. My face was a mess. I had cuts and blood in my nostrils. In that coffee shop, I sat across from him crying. I was scared of telling anyone.”
‘It all seemed wonderful. We’d found the birth parents of our future child, and then lost them. The birth father told his mom about the baby, and she decided to ‘come for a quick visit.’
“It seemed like a match made in heaven. ‘We’re still kids,’ we can remember her saying. And then we got THE CALL.”
‘I walked into his house. When I saw the bags from Victoria’s Secret, I knew what he had in store. It was Valentine’s Day, and it’s pretty obvious what a grown man had on his mind.’
“I gave him the coy smile, in an attempt to be sexy. I probably tried to wink at him, and did my best to slither over to the bed. One long stride in front of the other, knocking my hips from left to right, hoping to look like Marilyn Monroe but most likely – didn’t. He slowly sat down next to me.”
‘He locked me in the basement for days. I had asked him to help with baths for our kids. Then he took his own life.’: Woman reclaims self-worth after husbands’ suicide
“I kept wondering how I would get out. He must have decided the kids were too much to handle on his own. I sat in ICU while he was declared brain dead and thought about everything that happened. I felt sadness, anger, shock. The biggest emotion I felt was relief. I no longer had to fight to be respected. I felt free.”
‘Oh! You’re a 7. Let’s see what happens if you push.’ We were hurried back into the delivery room because this baby was coming RIGHT NOW.’
“We got the call. THE CALL. A baby had been born the day prior, and his birth mother had chosen us to raise him. We spent the next 12 hours frantically rushing around. And then, literally on our way out the door, we got another call: she had changed her mind. This wasn’t our baby.”
‘She even asked, ‘Do you still want to proceed with the pregnancy?’ She told us, ‘he could have major health issues he’ll have to ‘deal’ with as he grows up.’
“Now when I think back to that moment, I can’t help but wonder why she didn’t tell us just how much joy and happiness Asher would bring us. Or how much closer our family would be because of him. Why didn’t she tell us it would be a HAPPY ending, and that Asher would change the world?”
‘How are the kids?’ I gave her a puzzled look, wondering if I heard her correctly. My heart began to race and my breathing became faster. Tears erupted as my mind instantly flashed back to 3 years ago.’
“I was at a routine appointment. As the lady walked into the room, she smiled, repeated herself, and that’s when I realized, she didn’t know two of my children died.”
‘Unfortunately I see something here that could be a problem. I saw my mother-in-law’s face. She knew. We both knew something was off. I wanted to disappear.’
“I kept saying to myself nothing was wrong. I had seen the baby move and he looked perfectly beautiful and strong. When the doctor came in, I saw her face. With a serious look she asked me if I was alone.”
‘His teacher suddenly jumped on the desk. He started walking across each one, to make sure every single eye was on him.’: Teacher gives important message to classroom about equality
“I’ll never forget when he had them throw their history books on the ground and tell them how they got it all wrong that day, and made choices that would come back to haunt them.”
‘We were going to be parents of two children and we weren’t sure if one would survive. As the doctor pulled Vivian out of me, we held our breath as we waited to hear if she would cry.’
“We were happy because we were finally going to find out the genders of our sweet babies, but we were terrified because this appointment would confirm if something was truly wrong.”
‘Who should wear the mommy bracelet?,’ the nurse asked. ‘Jessica. She’s her mommy.’ She placed the bracelet around my wrist, and handed me my daughter.’: Mom reflects on journey to adoption, ‘Love built our family’
“I wanted to be able to tell my daughter that she threw her head back when she laughed. How she dipped her fries in mayonnaise, but mostly how much she loved her. How she begged me to make sure my daughter always knew.”
‘Am I ever going to walk again? Will I survive this?’ I never saw the man who did it. I just felt the shattering vibration and collapsed.’: Woman survives nightclub shooting to support other survivors
“There was no fight, no scuffle. Just bone-crushing shock. For years, I imagined him as every man I saw – walking down the street, opening my office door, pushing through a crowd. Every victim I heard about on the news was me – helpless and broken – life as they knew it taken from them in one moment.”