“My eleven-year-old self ran to my bedroom, fighting back tears. Fast forward 20 years. I didn’t think my husband, Jeff would go for it. I didn’t remember seeing an advertisement on tv for foster parents but there it was. I still didn’t say anything. But he did.”
‘My little sister and brother were taken to a foster home. They were only 5 and 3 years-old. They were so scared.’: Woman recounts journey to becoming a foster parent ‘we needed to take one step at a time’
‘What’s happening to our baby?’ His eyes pinning, we watched in horror as he became unresponsive.’: Twin diagnosed with Sturge-Weber, ‘Our life is a beautiful mess just like everyone else’s’
“His seizures came ROARING back with a vengeance. We unwillingly checked back into hell. We sat by our baby boy’s bedside in a state of utter despair, as he was intubated and unconscious.”
‘I cooked three meals a day. The house was clean. My husband came in the door knowing he was getting a home-cooked meal.’: Widow urges ‘nothing is promised’ after husband’s battle with colorectal cancer
“We knew it was coming. He was tired. His body had fought so hard. I craved the routine. In the end, all we had was love. There was no schedule, no bill due, no job that was more important than that. Nothing I could’ve done was going to change the outcome.”
‘If you are having to fight for a place at the table, if you are having to beg for an invitation, those are not your people.’: Woman urges ‘you deserve to belong’
“The table that is meant for you, will have an open chair.”
‘While I sit at home, worried about the children under my roof, you sit at home worried about the children under many roofs.’: Mom urges to teachers ‘give yourself some grace’
“This was not one of the classes that you sat through to get your degree. No matter what you do, you will never be enough for some. But please remember, for some, you are everything.”
‘Ma’am I don’t know if they informed you, but we’re sending detectives now.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Michael did not make it.’: Woman loses partner to active shooter
“I saw them put the shirt over his face. I remember his body just being so cold but somehow, he still had that smirk on his face I fell in love with. I was taken to a cop car where I was held waiting for a homicide investigator. Later that morning, a very tall, dark-headed man walked towards me in a long trench coat. Everything was a blur.”
‘I was called an ‘ugly spotted dog.’ Some of the players refused to touch my hands.’: Woman embraces Bathing Trunk Nevus, ‘I was born to stand out’
“At least 80 percent of my body is covered in birthmarks. My mother told people they were ‘angel kisses.’ Sometimes I’d think, ‘What if I looked normal?’ But what is normal? I was born to stand out.”
‘She’s just too sick.’ I kept telling her how much I loved her. I thanked her for choosing me. I could not protect her anymore.’: Mom grieves loss of newborn baby, ‘I will forever have Natalia as my angel’
“I remember my doctor’s face as she quietly said to the nurse, ‘We’re at five! We’re going now!’ My baby was breech. She wasn’t ready. Up until this point, she was safe with me. I knew after this moment, I could not protect her anymore.”
‘We might all be going through this together, but your feelings are still unique to you. Nobody gets to tell you how to feel.’: Widow shares words of wisdom for those struggling through pandemic
“One day, my family was intact. We were running around doing all the things, laughing and joking and being busy. The next, it was shattered. On Thursday, June 23, 2016, my husband was alive, and on Friday, June 24th, 2016, he wasn’t. And nothing has been the same since.”
‘I found out the full extent of my mother’s lies. My dad had child support receipts dating back to the late 70s.’: Parental alienation victim says ‘if you’re not familiar with the term, I envy you’
“I grew up thinking my father was a ‘mean man who did mean things.’ There were stories he bit me and threw pots and pans when I’d cry. Five years ago, we found each other on Facebook. During our first few calls, I found out the full extent of my mother’s lies.”