“I was on a fully liquid diet and throwing up daily. I felt like the world was judging me for not being ‘normal.’ I genuinely thought I might starve to death. No one can tell me what my life will look like in five years.”
‘That word changed my entire life. ‘There are no known cures.’ I would never ‘get better.’: Woman diagnosed with Gastroparesis, Elher’s Danlos Syndrome, ‘I’m going to enjoy the life I have’
‘There was a young family at the airport. Only one set of luggage though. He was freshly shaven, 3 large bags. They called for boarding, he picked his daughter up and kissed her goodbye. She didn’t want to let him go.’
“We got to our seats on the flight and he pulled out his phone. He was doing what we all do. He wanted to take photos for his wife and his daughter to keep them, but he was too embarrassed because of all the fancy businessmen who might see it and judge him.”
‘I arrived weighing only 3-pounds, with my organs outside my body. It was a complete shock to my parents. ‘Everything is fine,’ my guardian angel told my mother to keep her calm.’: Woman beats all odds after being born with Exomphalos, goes on to have own child
“I was bullied for looking different. I would get called ‘inside out girl,’ a ‘freak’ and ‘alien.’ It got nastier, telling me everyone would be happier if I was dead, and that I should kill myself.”
‘I picked him up from daycare. His little legs had bruises all over them. He was only 4 months old, so he wasn’t crawling yet. There was no obvious explanation.’: Son diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after mysterious bruising
“My husband inquired about the bruising. He was told that, ‘babies just bruise easily,’ and the bump was just a birthmark. Our minds were filled with fear and uncertainty and our stomachs were in knots. Feelings of anger crept up inside of me.”
‘She asked if I was doing okay, and if my marriage was okay. I was taken aback and said, ‘Of course.’: Friend shares wise advice that has kept them happily married for 33 years
“She said, ‘When your husband comes home from work, and you’ve been running around with the kids all day, you expect him to come home and help you, and when he doesn’t, you’re angry. I rolled my eyes and thought… ‘Yeah, I know.’ She smacked me.”
‘Many of Micah’s behaviors are out of the ordinary and at times downright bizarre. The reactions of others to Micah and his antics have been varied.’
“I suspect most parents have an inner radar that measures the character of others by the way they treat our children, but this is especially true for those of us who are parents of children with special needs.”
‘Hey Sweetheart, how ya doing?’ No one had to tell me, I knew what killed him.’: Woman’s dad loses battle with addiction, ‘He was so much more than an addict to me’
“At 10:30 in the morning my husband called me from my school’s parking lot. He was there to pick me up. I collapsed in front of my students and wept. Two 14-year-old girls picked me up off the floor and walked me out of my school. He was loved. He was wanted. He was needed. I needed him.”
‘You have the perfect family.’ That’s what they saw. No one could have known what was going on behind our picket fence.’: Mom shares life with 2 special needs children, husband’s failing heart
“I smiled on cue. I showed up to play dates. I dressed my kids well. But I kept all the other stuff hidden. I opened a private Instagram account and used it as a journal, as a means to post the not-so-pretty. I felt so icky about my half-truth life. I was shaking as I hit the button to make it public.”
‘It was twins! In the back of my head though, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and our happy world to come tumbling down. It did, but not until later.’
“They were out of all other options. Phoenix was bleeding into his lungs, and they couldn’t figure out a way to stop it. The nurse was calling other hospitals to figure out an accurate dose of medical cocaine to administer. What?? This can’t be happening!”
‘We’d lie in bed with our backs towards each other. My husband got more comfortable on the couch than in our bed.’: After struggling with infertility, couple rediscovers intimacy
“We would sit there in our room, phones in our hands. We ended our time together with a simple, ‘goodnight.’ Intimacy no longer existed. When people ask us how we first met, we always tell them, ‘it’s a funny story.’ And really, in a way, it kind of is.”