“I immediately cried to my mom. ‘What if I’m embarrassed of my own child?’ Our little girl’s heart was broken. She had a hole right in the center of it. I prayed for mine to be broken instead.”
‘I remember falling into his arms, bawling. ‘It’s not fair! Why me?’ I desperately wanted a normal, healthy baby. I remember walking to the car, feeling as if someone died.’
‘When I was 13, my family and I moved into my mother’s ‘dream home.’ Just 8 months later, things would take a drastic turn.’
“It was a helpless day. We stood outside of our home knowing there was nothing we could do. At the end of the day, we had nothing but the clothes on our back.”
‘Then came the email. ‘I have an oven that’s never been used. Do you need it?’ We didn’t know why she was offering us an ‘oven.’ Ours was in perfect condition!’: LGBT couple start a family through surrogacy
“The tension was palpable. Within seconds, the room was completely empty except for us. No explanation from anyone. In that moment, we both embraced each other and sobbed. Was Kimberly going to be ok? What about our son? Nothing prepared us for this unexpected event.”
‘Do you have a will?,’ my nurse asked. ‘No,’ I replied. ‘You need to get your affairs in order for your daughter, if anything should happen to you.’ What did this mean? I had failed her.’
“After writing out a will, I was wheeled off to the operating room. All I remember is waking up in a glass box with the curtains wide-opened. It was so eerie. I could hardly find my voice and was unable to move my body.”
‘It started out as ‘the talk.’ But it was hands on. I remember feeling dirty and wanting to crawl in a hole and die.’
“Life had become unbearable under the weight of my secret. He told me no man would ever want to marry me because I couldn’t keep the house clean. I knew that wasn’t true, but I did think no man would ever want me. I was tainted.”
‘You have to choose right now. Me or him.’ That was the last time I saw my brother alive.’: Woman battles 10-year addiction after brother’s death, starts ‘new chapter’ after near-death experience
“He was coming home from a party after drinking more than he should have. He lost control of the car. It was an eerily morning knock. There stood my mom and Papaw. ‘You brother’s been in an accident. He didn’t make it.’ Instead of reaching for closure and clarity, I reached for the bottle. I was well on my way to being the last living child for my parents to bury.”
‘It was just her and I. We laid in her bed, holding this sweet boy, talking about the future. As 48 hours passed, it came time for us to leave the hospital. We all walked out together, one family.’
“She asked pressing questions about parts of parenting we hadn’t even considered. ‘Do you plan to say at home? What will you do if your child doesn’t believe in what you believe? What type of school system do you want your children to attend?’”
‘Nash started choking on popcorn. The next day he had a weird cough. He felt warm and was super fussy.’: Mom warns about giving popcorn to toddlers after ‘eye-opening’ aspirating accident
“Last Saturday night we were all watching a movie and eating popcorn, which is a very frequent event in our home. After a long night, my son’s breathing looked a little labored to me and he had a fever. I gave him Motrin and put him to bed. I called my pediatrician. ‘Nash needs to be seen ASAP.’ Thank goodness I trusted my instincts.”
‘My friends ghosted me when my mom died.’
“I didn’t see it then, I just noticed the calls became less frequent and the invites were scarce. I turned around and it was like everyone just disappeared.”
‘Once again, my cousin was pregnant. She was due 6 months after me. She was in a toxic relationship with a man hooked on drugs.’: Woman adopts multiple babies from cousin, finds out she’s pregnant while battling cancer
“We found out she was pregnant with baby number 5. She had decided she just couldn’t parent the kids. My husband and I knew we couldn’t do two babies so close together. My son was only 11 months. Having three kids, two of whom had special needs, it just was too much on us.”