“I sat there, trying to hold back my tears. ‘What does this mean? What about her unborn sister? Will she have friends?’ I couldn’t take it anymore. I just sat there and let the tears flow down my cheeks as my daughter stood in between my legs. I stroked her hair, feeling so afraid for her future.”
‘Why are all the other kids her age able to turn and look at their parents?’ I chalked it up to me doing something wrong.’: Mom to daughter with autism says ‘find love in your heart not to judge’
‘I kept getting UTIs. My male doctor said, ‘Do you think the pain might be ALL IN YOUR HEAD?’ I was mortified.’: Woman with chronic urinary tract infections urges ‘you are not alone’
“I’d receive a 3-day course of antibiotics and be sent on my way. It would clear up, but come back with vengeance. I was told it was ‘just because I was WITH my boyfriend.’ Fair enough, sex can be a cause, but what did other people do? Stay single for the rest of their life? I was at a loss. All the doctors suggested I was exaggerating.”
‘I heard, ‘One, two, three, four!’ I asked, ‘What are you counting?!’ The cord was wrapped around his neck four TIMES!’: After complicated birth, mom thankful for ‘miracle baby’
“‘You should buy a lottery ticket,’ they told me. I thought it was strange nothing was happening. The odds were definitely stacked against us. ‘Miracle baby,’ they called him.”
‘Today my little sister received her school yearbook. She was intentionally left out due to her differences in ability.’: Sister to student with Down syndrome advocates for inclusion, ‘There is no excuse’
“Since the 2,500+ students and faculty didn’t get the honor of seeing Glenda’s yearbook photo, at least the internet can.”
‘We married ‘outside of our race.’ We get hateful stares, slurs. Still, we will continue to love one another and grow stronger.’: Woman in interracial couple says ‘we will rise above negativity’
“We’ve come to understand people do not want a black person dating or marrying a white person, or a white person dating or marrying a black person. And to them I say, we will rise above.”
‘I was single with a big, empty house. ‘Can you take in a 10-month-old baby?’ A lightbulb went off.’: Single woman embarks on emotional foster mom journey, ‘I’d repeat it all over again’
“I buckled baby J into his seat and gave him a quick kiss. ‘I’ll see you later.’ The lump in my throat was painful as ever. I turned away to see J’s brother crying. I absolutely lost it. I panicked, trying to catch my breath. I went from being a mom to no longer being a mom in a matter of minutes.”
‘That’s not normal.’ I took her to the ER. ‘Mommy, I want my fingers and toes to get all wrinkley.’: Mom thankful for those who helped ‘walking miracle’ daughter beat cancer
“‘She was feeling better, but there was light vomit here and there. Then, on the afternoon of Saturday, March 24th we were at a party and I noticed her right eye moving inward, Slow down, I’m dizzy,’ she said.”
‘Are you joking?’ My doctor had a very serious look. ‘Pregnancy is not something I’m allowed to joke about.’ I’d been taking birth control pills.’: Mom births warrior baby with ‘sweet cleft smile’
“I said goodbye to his sweet, wide smile and tried to hold it together as the nurse carried him away. The second I got to the café, with my COVID-19 mask under my chin, I ugly cried into my sandwich. I texted my best friend, ‘I’m going to puke or soil my pants.’ I was a ball of emotion.”
‘We found our phones with several missed calls, texts. ‘Congratulations! You’ve been matched with a baby boy…’ We immediately melted into tears.’: Couple adopt baby with Down syndrome, ‘He was absolutely worth the wait’
“A fat stack of personal information – copies of driver’s licenses, tax returns, medical records – everything we are taught to keep confidential, was GONE. ‘Lost’ in the mail. 3 weeks later, I got a call from our social worker: ‘You’ll never guess what just happened!’ We knew raising a child with special needs would bring challenges, but we also knew it would be a huge blessing.”
‘He received an email. ‘Because of you, I’m able to celebrate my birthday, and 60 years of life. Thank you.’: Husband donates bone marrow to stranger, wife feels blessed, ‘He is the calm to my storm’
“He donated bone marrow to save the life of a complete stranger. He was excited. Elated. He barred me from telling anyone, he didn’t want to make a fuss. That’s the man I’m married to.”