“We ended up talking. I opened up about my grief and he shared that his father had passed away. We had been very good friends for years and helped each other through battling the same demons… And then I got the call, he had been robbed and shot in a parking lot. My world crumbled. Why him? Why now?”
‘My sister pushed me to have an abortion, but I couldn’t do it. Not even 90 days clean, I found out I was pregnant.’: Woman overcomes addictions to have beautiful baby
‘Not following his rules would unleash what I began to call, Satan. I loved him in a very dark and twisted way.’: Woman overcomes years of abuse
“After the first incident, he had parental locks put on my phone, like I was a child, his property. I blamed myself for what happened. He convinced me if I hadn’t had been talking to my mother that night, nothing would have happened to me. I believed him.”
‘Why can’t adults be more like kids. He didn’t see black or white, he saw only a law enforcement officer and who he called a hero.’
“Today this beautiful young child approached me and thanked me. I know some people hate police, but it’s days like today that reminds me of those who love, honor and respect the badge and uniform.”
‘She will live in total darkness. You are getting in over your head,’ we heard.’: Family happily adopt blind, deaf child despite discrimination
“We woke to a text. These people helping us couldn’t understand how we could move forward with adoption until we were certain SHE WOULD LIVE. I responded verbatim, ‘WE WANT THIS GIRL NO MATTER WHAT.’ Her piercing blue eyes were mesmerizing.”
‘Our son climbed up to the top bunk bed and wrapped the blind cords around his neck. He then began to walk down the ladder, as the cords tightened.’: Mom’s PSA about cord blinds after nearly fatal accident
“He panicked and tried to yell for mom and dad, but nothing came out. We heard a loud thud. It will forever be ringing in my ears.”
‘It seems your water has broken, baby has no fluid left.’ I looked at my husband, full of tears. I squeezed his hand and took a deep breath. I didn’t notice I was holding it in the entire time.’
“My husband was by my side in a heartbeat, and said, ‘let’s fight and give this baby a chance!’ I knew in my heart I needed to fight for this little life inside me. It was alive, it was thriving and it’s heart was beating. I couldn’t decide it’s fate.”
‘Don’t you remember me?’ He looked at me like I was crazy. ‘No I’m sorry, I don’t.’: Woman encounters police officer who ‘saved her life’ years later
“He said to me, ‘I’m sorry I had to arrest you, I was just doing my job.’ I told him, ‘It’s okay, I understand now that you may have saved my life that day.”
‘The 8 hours before, he was barely sniffling, laughing robustly, and writing Valentine’s Day cards. He threw up once. ONCE. I did everything, everything. This wasn’t supposed to happen.’
“In a blink of an eye, ‘it’ came. I refuse to call ‘it’ my mom, because in that moment, she wasn’t mom. Her grief had overtaken her, and ‘it’ was what she unintentionally became. And ‘it’ turned and said to me – ‘How could you let this happen?'”
‘The doctor walked in. ‘He has Down syndrome.’ I LOST IT. I refused to hold him.’: Father comes to terms with son’s diagnosis, ‘I will never give up, I will not limit you’
“I did not want anything to do with my new son. I refused to touch him or hold him. I did not even want to see him. I am so truly sorry. I am sorry I let you down. I promise you there will be no other person in this world who will fight harder for you then I will.”
‘People think it’s gross, but without this bag of poop on my stomach, I wouldn’t be here.’: Young woman diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, says life ‘isn’t fair,’ but it’s ‘downright beautiful’
“Growing up, I wasn’t grateful for anything. Then I got sick. I went from picture-perfect health to being too frail to even move. I was rushed to the ER. ‘We need to act fast!’ My heart stopped, my breathing hitched, and suddenly I knew what was coming. He lowered the mask onto my face, and I remember thinking ‘please’ over and over again.”