“I remember being in 5th grade, staying up late pouring over freshly printed car brochures to help him memorize car facts for a car salesman job. I will never forget the smell of those damn brochures. He was depressed. One night he cried, confessing to me he thought of ending his life.”
‘I had two dads. The first was the love of my life. I asked my mother about my dad’s relapse. She simply said, ‘everything changed.’: Woman overcomes father’s alcoholism, codependent relationship
‘We’re sorry. We’ve done all we could.’ He was holding his 11-month-old daughter. He went stiff, making a gurgling sound.’: Medical examiner says father died after drinking energy drinks that ‘ultimately stopped his heart’
“My son had an energy drink then sat to enjoy his evening with his family. I was taking my shower when the call came in. It was my son’s fiancée. She rarely calls me, and was panicked. ‘Has Buddy ever had a seizure?’ I said, ‘No! Why do you ask?’ She stated, ‘I think he is having a seizure!’ He wasn’t sick. He had no health issues. His toxicology report came back negative to everything except stimulants.”
‘There is a baby, and there is a heartbeat.’ Those words sparked hope. Then, our doctor told us I should take it easy, and wait for my body to abort the baby. WHAT?! No.’
“There were more seizures, and this time it was Infantile spasms. He paused before asking, ‘Have you ever heard of this?’ My heart nearly stopped. There was no way. When we were matched with a puppy, they were instantly at peace. We knew, they were made for each other.”
‘A nurse latched a painful, angry piranha to my nipples. She didn’t notice I’d been crying. She said she’d help. She never came back.’: Mom urges ‘we are not just a vessel,’ encourages others to check new mom’s mental health
“I was asked hundreds of questions. All of them, about my baby. When a baby is born, so is a mother. So, ask us too, and ask us often, ‘Is everything okay?’”
Today I Gave My Daughter A Mental Health Day, And It Was My Best Decision Ever
“As soon as I picked up my 5-year-old, I could tell she was in one of her ‘moods.’ She was crying over everything, not being herself, and acting so uptight. So, I drew her a lavender bubble bath, gave her a face mask, and lit some candles.”
‘I asked my therapist when I would get ‘over it.’ I went from being pregnant with triplets, to hitting rock bottom. Two of my children died. I thought I was OK. I didn’t need someone to talk to.’
“I remember being hesitant. I wasn’t depressed, I was simply a mother longing for the children I would no longer hold in my arms. But, I’m the mother of two children who died, and I faced my own near-death experience, so I promised my husband I would see someone.”
‘Her exact words were, ‘He has a large birthmark on his back.’ The nurses looked at each other wide-eyed. I didn’t understand.’: Parents thrown ‘curve ball’ as son was born with ‘huge mole’ on his back
“By the time he was 2 weeks old, it had tripled in size. Then we got the worst news. The lump wasn’t just a lump. It was a tumor and it was cancerous. As my husband drove, I completely broke down.”
‘When you were born, I vowed to love you no matter what. I will continue to do that.’ I returned to school for the first time, as myself.’: Trans woman finally ‘living her truth,’ ‘I will never regret choosing my happiness’
“To others, I was in need of fixing. All my behaviors were deemed ‘wrong.’ In an attempt to make me more masculine and ‘grow out of it,’ I was placed in sports. I feared what I would face if I decided to be true to myself.”
‘How do you know when date night is over? When your wife tries to talk to you but her speech is so slurred you can’t understand her, and you realize half her face is drooping.’
“He asked me, ‘Is everything ok?’ I tried to answer him, but weird sounds came out.”
‘Squads and tribes are great and wonderful, but sometimes close-knit groups can turn into CLOSED-knit groups, leaving no room for newcomers.’
“When a new lady comes around with her cafeteria tray and every seat is already taken, this is a great misfortune. As a special needs mother, my children have taught me many things, but staying open for the ones who don’t look like me is at the top of the list.”