“As I sat in the car watching him slowly walk the lifeless grounds of his high school, my heart ached. I could see it in his eyes…all he really wanted was a chance to say goodbye. As a self-proclaimed ‘fixer,’ no matter what I do, I can’t fix this one.”
‘He asked, ‘Can I stop by my high school?’ I pulled up to an empty parking lot. He just wanted a chance to say goodbye.’: Mom to senior says ‘you will always be remembered’
‘If you think you can get me to change this boundary, it’s not going to happen.’ Her face angry, she sulked off. I took a deep breath.’: Mom urges boundaries ‘protect us and others’
“‘This boundary will not move.’ She sulked off again. I figured we were in for another long day of boundary testing. This time, she came back after a bit.”
‘The midwife said, ‘You have to let her go.’ Her arms and legs moved around, as if she was searching for me.’: Couple lose baby due to missing DNA, ‘In her 50 minutes of life, we hope she knew nothing but love’
“I desperately wanted the pain and labor to end. However, I wasn’t ready for her to come out. I just wasn’t ready to let her go, for I knew it meant she would be leaving me. I remember half pushing and half trying to hold her back.”
‘During my daughter’s daily Zoom meeting, her classmate said, ‘I don’t like Chinese people because they started this quarantine.’: Asian-American mom urges ‘we are not the virus’
“What made it worse is that this person was one of her friends.”
‘MOM! WHAT HAPPENED?!’ The only reply was screams. Our boy was gone forever.’: Couple births miracle daughter with chromosome 17p duplication after nephew’s untimely death, ‘My guardian angel sent me the baby I’d always wanted.’
“My husband came to my side and scooped me up from the floor into his arms. He asked me what happened, but I couldn’t say it. ‘My boy…,’ I told him and trailed off. The pregnancy was confirmed just a week before his memorial service.”
‘We’ve known for over a year our sweet toddler struggles from the effects of alcohol during pregnancy. He’s one of the ‘lucky’ ones.’: Mom realizes ‘I am a special needs mom and it’s hard’
“I didn’t want to be that mom. Then, Covid hit and it closed our developmental daycare my 2-year-old attends. And things got real.”
‘I hid it so well from my parents and best friends. ‘How does everybody else do this?’ I lived in total denial.’: Woman with anxiety disorder says ‘owning your struggle makes you beautiful’
“Others around me began to catch on. I was vomiting constantly against my will and obsessively washing my hands. I began to lose weight and drink to ease my fears. I was covering up my secret for 10 years.”
‘You’re a horrible mother for taking your child to a hospital during Corona.’ My 5-year-old unexpectedly broke her bone.’: Mom says ‘I was bullied for bringing her to a hospital’
“I wiped down every surface my daughter touched with my can of Clorox. Then, I got out my camera and documented our experience.”
‘She squeezed my hand and mouthed her first words: ‘I love you.’ I started to sob. Tears were running into my N95 mask.’: Nurse gets touching thank you after COVID-19 patient survives 21-day battle
“She has been my patient from the first day our unit opened and was on a ventilator for 15 days. I stayed in the room for 15 minutes just holding her hand and sobbing. I feel my purpose of coming here was to save her life.”
‘I have ‘cuddle buddies’ of all genders. I have hugged trees and hugged myself. I admit, I’m a marvelous hugger.’: Advocate for physical touch says ‘things came to a screeching halt with COVID-19’
“We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”