“They were always something I had tried to hide. I tried my best to explain them to her curious 5-year-old heart. Her big, wet hug let me know that although her age only equaled the number of fingers on her tiny hands, she understood.”
‘I’d stepped out of a 5-minute shower. ‘What are those purple things, mama?’ Her question stopped me in my tracks.’: Mom says ‘you’d never be the mother you are today without each tear in your roadmap’
‘The first thing I heard was, ‘If she survives, she’s losing all of her limbs.’ I let her go. I’d rather live a lifetime of pain than have her here selfishly.’: Mom says ‘I have never felt more like a mom than I do after losing Kinsley’
“I let her go. That all sounded like a pretty sh*tty existence, right? Then they proceeded to say she had a stroke. As I watched my daughter die, all I wanted was to trade places with her. I wanted to take the pain away. So, I let her go.”
‘The nurse said the word ‘fetal demise’ and my heart stopped. I was disgusted with myself. ‘If you leave, we’ll call it an Against Medical Advice Discharge.’: Mom births NICU warrior amid pandemic
“They refused to allow my husband back upstairs after he got off work, saying my unit didn’t count as a maternity unit. He flipped out. I cried and hid in the dark for two days. I let my husband go. What kind of mother was I to put her life at risk? I finally understood what it meant to give up anything to keep my family safe.”
‘Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t expect it. I haven’t hugged my mom!’: Woman struggling with anxiety says ‘what I’ve got going on is so enough right now’
“I parked my tired butt on the couch, overindulged in some sweets, and started to cry. I can barely wife and mom. Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. ALL OF THIS. I haven’t hugged my mom!”
‘He said, ‘I’m done. I’ve fallen out of love with you.’ I was 6 months pregnant with our child.’: Woman survives depression, ‘This boy has made me feel worthy of love’
“My ex said, ‘Ending a relationship is not a good enough reason to be diagnosed with PTSD.’ I had dark thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore. Nothing will ever compare to someone choosing not to love you anymore when you need their love and support the most.”
‘I wonder how this man could ever love me. The guilt of having a cleaning lady makes me feel like a pathetic human being.’: Mom struggling with anxiety says ‘you never know who is desperately kicking beneath the surface’
“If I wanted to impress a crowd, I could. I’ve got my ducky little life put together. At home, my children are laughing, my husband is eating a hot dinner, and the floor is tidy and clean. Right beneath the surface, hidden right before your eyes, is someone desperately trying to stay afloat.”
‘Sweetheart, you’re going to get through this.’ The smiling eyes behind your goggles and N-95 masks will stay with me forever.’: Woman pens love letter to nurses who helped her battle COVID-19
“She was the ICU nurse who got stuck with the COVID-19 patient. I don’t know how many hours I spent staring at my oxygen on the monitor, willing it to rise. All I wanted was one breath. Still, she showed up, with grace and humor. I will never forget that sacrifice.”
‘That night led to a heated conversation. She finally looked at me and said, ‘What do you need?’: Couple struggling with new normal says ‘we must take care of each other’
“She was fried. She hadn’t slept much. I felt invisible. She looked at me and said, ‘This isn’t you, or the parent you want to be, so you need to tell me what you need or snap out of it.’ We sat in that uncomfortable place for a good 45 minutes.”
‘He watches you mop floors only to have tiny footprints run right through them. He watches you pick up toys only to have them poured out again.’: Mom says ‘keep showing up, because He sees’
“Even though it’s hard, and even though you’re tired, keep pressing on. Keep showing up. Because He’s watching and He never leaves.”
‘Why me?’ The words echoed in my head, ‘There is no cure…’ I reached to get my makeup and it wasn’t there. It was a nightmare that wouldn’t end.’: Man finally accepts vitiligo, ‘What I have is a blessing’
“‘How will I cope?’ I looked in the mirror for 30 minutes, wondering what to do.”