According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with autism. Parenting a child with this kind of disorder can be really challenging because many of these kids have trouble understanding the world around them. Some features of autism are the inability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal), social withdrawal, repetitive behaviors, difficulties making eye contact.
Unfortunately, many of the parents who have an autistic child don’t get the opportunity to see their precious babies taking the first steps, saying the first words, or make friends, or at least not at the period of life as the rest of the kids do it. But as long as they make progress, no matter how slow, parents like Briana Blankenship are happy.
Facebook/Love What Matters
This brave mother shares the story of her daughter with Love What Matters, and we are beyond happy for both of them.
Briana’s 5-year-old daughter Taylor was diagnosed with a ‘nonverbal’ form of autism which prevents her from verbally communicating with those around her. This lovely girl gets to understand certain words of English, but has never produced one herself, up to the day these mother and daughter drove along the McDonald’s drive-thru line.
‘”I am ugly crying in the McDonald’s parking lot and the employees probably think I’m crazy. In the drive-thru, I suddenly heard Taylor say ‘MAMA.’
For those of you that don’t know, Taylor is five and is nonverbal autistic. She has NEVER said a word. EVER.”
Facebook/Love What Matters
“As soon as she said it I grabbed my phone and started recording. I’m pretty sure I held up the drive-thru line but there was no way I wasn’t getting proof of this.
I can’t explain how unbelievably grateful and ecstatic I am right now.”
Briana got to experience something the doctors told her will never happen, and that’s the touching moment her lovely daughter called her MAMA. A word she dreamed of hearing from the moment Taylor was born.
This mother is grateful for this moment that will remain the most precious memory she’ll never forget.
We hope and pray for Taylor to learn how to communicate in the future and make her mommy proud.
Facebook/Love What Matters
We are glad we get to share this precious moment with this lovely family.
We love you Taylor, you are one strong girl who we hope will have an amazing life ahead.
Not many people these days are considerate and empathetic. The world has become a cruel place where everyone is only concerned for their own well-being. The sad truth is that we pass this behavior to our kids and we slowly create a society of selfish humans. We hear of bullied kids all the time, but rarely do we stumble upon stories of young children being compassionate towards their peers, but when we do, our faith in humanity restores.
This is a story of a young boy who did just the right thing when he noticed a girl was in an unpleasant and sort of embarrassing situation. We thank the parents and admire kids like this who are well brought up.
While on the way home from school, a young lady got her period for the first time in her life. All of us who have experienced that know how confusing and embarrassing that might be, especially if it happens in public.
Flickr/Paulo Otávio
The girl’s face turned red and she felt like she couldsinkthroughthefloor the moment she realized other kids noticed what was going on. At one moment, a young boy approached and just as she expected from him to make fun of her, the most amazing thing happened.
He actually stood by her side and offered a helping hand. His action meant so much for the girl that her mother decided to share the story in the Moms Facebook group.
Flickr/Joe Wolf
The mom explained how the boy, who was slightly older than her daughter, whispered something to the girl.
‘”that she had a stain on the back of her pants and gave her his sweater to tie around her waist so she could walk home off of the bus.”
Flickr/Brandon Debes
The girl couldn’t believe what happened, and she was embarrassed to even say yes to the boy’s offer. But he assured her that everything was going to be just fine.
“(He) told her ‘I have sisters, it’s all good!'”
The mother was thankful because of what the young man did. She said his mother must be proud to have raised a true gentleman.
“We hear so many bad things about today’s youth, and I wanted to share something positive!”
FlickrLbC
The boy’s act was praised by everyone who read the mom’s story.
“…not many would of done this. I’m sure he’ll become a gentleman in years to come and he will treat a woman how she should be treated.”
This story reminds us that there are still people out there who care and who are willing to give a helping hand to those in need. Remember that every act of kindness, no matter how small, can go a long way.
If in one relationship there is lack of respect and support, and one of the partners constantly tries to undermine the other person, that might be a sign of a toxic relationship.
These people tend to be superior over their partners, believing they are better, more successful, and more good looking, and many times abusive and violent. Those who never found themselves in a relationship like this might wonder why wouldn’t someone simply walk away from that kind of negative influence in their life, but that’s not as easy as it seems.
Alvina Rayne knows that best. She experienced being bullied and humiliated by her partner which made her find comfort in the junk food. As a result, her health condition worsened over the years and at her heaviest she weighted 274 pounds. She was called names all the time, but something in her snapped when she was called a “fat piece of garbage.”
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
This mother of two not only gained weight, but she was depressed as well. Both her physical and mental state were affected by the way she was treated by the one who was supposed to protect her and love her.
It became difficult for her to even climb the stairs. Every physical activity was exhausting for this young mother.
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
Whenever she felt bad she would eat junk food and sweets. She though that would make her feel happy, at least for a moment.
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
The young mother suffered from high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, left ventricular hypertrophy and severe anxiety.
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
Whenever she wanted to leave that scumbag, he would crush her self confidence by telling her how no one would ever want her because of her obesity. He was good at manipulating with her feelings. But it wasn’t until the year of 2009 that she finally left him and moved on.
Alvina Rayne
She was determined to change her lifestyle and become healthy and fit again so she switched to a low-carb keto diet. Whenever she would think she won’t have the strength to keep going, she would recall the words “No one will want you” and that was enough motivation to continue her fight against the obesity. Eventually, she lost 103 pounds.
Caters News Agency
She is now inspiring others to follow her path, and try their hardest to stay away from a toxic relationship. She is as well inspiring overweight people to lose weight ad make healthier choices.
Once her ex heard of her transformation, he called her and said “I heard you put on some hotness” and wanted her to take him in again, but it was a big no no for Alvina.
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
She is now happily married with the man of her dreams and has a happy life.
PICS BY ALVINA RAYNE / CATERS NEWS
‘“I want others to know that they can start their life completely over”
Alvina says.
“You don’t have to stay where you are, it’s so powerful to realize that you are in control of your body and life.”
Make sure you take a look at the mind blowing transformation of Alvina, and feel free to share her story with friends.
Video Credit: Alvina Rayne / Learn more about Alvina by visiting her YouTube channel
Music Credit: Fly Away – Krys Talk (music provided by NCS)
The pursuit of true love can be blinding. As long as people believe that loving someone no matter how toxic the relationship they are in is, they will end up hurt. Being with someone who suffocates your free will and treats you as their possession can contaminate your way to happiness and destroy your self-esteem.
If you believe your relationship doesn’t make you content, then it might be the time to move on. However, sometimes letting go is not that easy because the partner might be abusive and violent, and threats to hurt you if you leave them.
Unfortunately, many young people find themselves in abusive relationships and experience real nightmare. One of them is Kayla Holmes whose life turned upside down after the life threatening abuse she suffered from now her ex-boyfriend. Raised by a single mother, Kayla never had the chance to see how a relationship between a couple should be like so when she started dating Seth Aaron Fleury, who was 21 at the time, she didn’t know what they had was sort of broken. The naive 17-year-old Kayla was offered promises from her loved one that he will change and become a better person, but the only thing she got was black eyes, a broken nose, and a missing body part.
Facebook/Kayla Hayes
Kayla shares with Love What Matters what really happened on that October 17, 2017. A day she will never forget.
‘”I remember the look of terror on the man’s face that just so happened to save my life this day. As well as the sweet elderly lady that had to walk out of her home to see such tragedy occurring, but yet was so kind to try to help me and keep me comforted until further help arrived.”
Kayla finally realized she had to step away from the relationship and she recalls the day she went to visit Seth for one last time. He was certain Kayla will change her mind and get back to him, but once he realized he was wrong he did something unthinkable. People were left wondering how could there be someone so cruel like Seth.
Facebook/Kayla Hayes
He tried to kiss her, and when Kayla attempted to run away, the monster of a boyfriend bit off huge part of her bottom lip.
‘”Sitting in a puddle of my own blood with the majority of my lip laying on my leg, my whole mouth on fire, confused and terrified, I didn’t know how I could ever show my face again. At that point, honestly wishing that those very seconds would just be my last – I wanted to give up for good.”
Many people judged Kayla for not putting an end to the relationship earlier, not being aware that when you find yourself in a situation like that you just hope things will change for the better, when they only change for the worse. She admits he could be a nice guy occasionally.
‘”He claimed he was going to leave his mark on me for my next boyfriend. I had a scar wrapping from cheek to cheek, now known as the ‘girl that had her lip bitten off.'”
After the incident, Kayla was rushed to the hospital, but reattaching her lip was impossible because it was no longer viable, so they cut around her cheeks in order to pull together whatever was left of the bottom lip leaving her with a huge scar.
Life wasn’t easy for this young lady after that, until the moment she stopped blaming herself for what happened to her.
‘”I used to be my attacker’s property, he manipulated me to the point where I almost lost everything and everyone in my life. The day I walked out of this relationship was one of the best days of my life. Although, that was when he snapped. When he realized he lost all control over me and wasn’t gaining it back this day – October 21st, 2017 – I truly believe that was what threw him over the edge. He was always great at getting in my head, but this time, I no longer allowed it.”
On October 18th, almost a year to the date that her attack occurred, Kayla finally got closure when justice was served. Judge Robin N. Stilwell sentenced Seth to 12 years in prison for “battery of a high and aggravated nature” at the Greenville County Courthouse in South Carolina.
Facebook/Rise Above
Kayla doesn’t see herself as a victim any longer, but as a survivor, and her scars only testify what she’s been through.
‘”I will continue to wear my scars as wings and I will continue to Stay Kind and Stay Strong. And I will Rise Above this. No longer a victim, but a Survivor.”
We believe Kayla is an example of how we should move on whenever something terrible happens to us. She is a brave young lady who endured a lot, but still finds the happiness in little things in life.
Going through a divorce can be really tough and draining, but it may also feel liberating especially if you’ve spend your best years in a marriage that turned out to be a big mistake. However, all those court hearings, and custody battles can affect people negatively and make them feel lost.
Vicki is a brave woman who recently got divorced from her husband of 44 years. But now that she was single again she didn’t know how to continue all by herself. She only knew that she desperately needed a fresh start that would help her start her brand new life.
And who could give her all that if not the Makeover Guy. She wanted a new look and Christopher Hopkins was just the right person to contact. She was sure he could make her feel beautiful and ready to love herself again!
YouTube
A lot of questions were going through Vicki’s mind. Whether she would find a soulmate, or she will remain single. What will people think of her now she’s a divorcee, and a lot more.
It was very obvious that this woman was sad and terrified, and Christopher knew he had to do everything in his powers to change that. He also knew that cutting her hair won’t be enough of a change, but a great start to a new look everyone would be stunned by. He started by chopping off quite a bit of length and then proceeded with the makeup.
Vicky started being more self-confident and felt like her senseless life was behind her.
YouTube
Christopher softened Vicki’s eyebrows by dying them a slightly lighter color and evened out her skin tone with a dewy foundation. By the end of his process, Vicki was unrecognizable.
Vicky couldn’t hold her tears back when she saw how she looked after the transformation. She has always been one stunning lady, but now with Christopher’s help, her beauty was highlighted and everyone could see how this not only affected her physical appearance but her new, brighter perspective of life as well.
It’s amazing how putting your trust in the hands of the right person could result in such an incredible income.
We are beyond happy for Vicky and we really hope she would manage to find a new purpose in life, and that she will have fun as never before.
YouTube
Take a look at this brand new woman and her unbelievable transformation.
When police officers respond to calls, they never know who they will have to deal with. Sometimes they run into scenes of violence and even murder, other times it’s about loud neighbors who disturb the whole neighborhood, but either way, the officers are those who have to maintain peace in environment at all times. The principle they follow along is: to serve and to protect.
Recently, Detective Sergeant Gary Sanders of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department responded to a “noise complaint” made against a dance studio from the area. But never in his wildest dreams could he imagine that it would turn into something he and his colleagues will never forget.
YouTube
The whole thing is filmed and posted to the Police Department’s YouTube channel and seeing how this officer deals with the situation is the best thing you’ll see all day.
The moment he enters the place, no one is happy to see him. The girls don’t like the idea of getting a ticket so they come up with a brilliant idea.
‘”The noise is way too loud, and I’m going to have to write you a ticket.”
They challenge Det. Sgt. Sanders to a dance-off! Wow, that’s really something worth watching, isn’t it?
YouTube
The video starts with the logo of the COPS series but it’s not actually an episode of that show, but a parody done in collaboration with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and Image Dance Studio.
This is a great way for the cops to show the members of the community that they don’t only protect them and keep them safe, but make sure they have some fun occasionally.
YouTube
The dance off is so entertaining it will make you watch it again and again.
Though we call it a challenge, the cops have no chance competing with the young dancers who have every step carefully planned. But both are giving us an ultimate show we really enjoy watching. As they dance, they all make it inside Cheney Stadium, where the minor league team plays its home games.
YouTube
Watch the video below to see the remarkable dancing skills of the officers and the brilliant dancers. You’ll also get to see what happened with the ticket Det. Sgt. Sanders was supposed to write.
The members of the community must be happy to have a Police Department like this.
The video ends with a special note of thanks to the three young sons of the late Daniel McCartney, who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty earlier this year.
No matter how many people we meet in our life and how important they become to us, there is one person whose place no one can take; a person who will be there for us no matter what. That is her majesty, the mother.
A mother’s smile can make all the pain go away. They are willing to sacrifice their happiness for the well-being of the children. The moments we spend with them become our most valuable memories.
Losing a mother means we will never again have that one person who will be proud of every our achievement and share with us all our joys and sadness.
Erica Allen Peden lost her mother recently and she shared her story with the rest of us because she wants to remind us how we should never miss the chance to tell our mom how important she is to us and how much we love her.
Erica is still learning how to cope with her pain, especially because of something that preceded her mother’s death.
Facebook/Erica Allen Peden
The day she lost her mother will always stay with Erica. For Love What Matters, she explains what happened on this sad day for her and for the whole family.
‘”It was April 23rd, 2017 and I was lying in bed with my husband of close to 5 months, laughing about something one of our cats did. I rolled over to get ready for the day when Nick, my husband, said, ‘Where are you going?’ At just after 10 am on a Sunday, I was planning to go see my mom, who lived about 7 minutes away with my dad and brother. She had just gone through an abdominal surgery and was resting. I told him, ‘I’m going to see mom. She wants to hang out with me like every day.’
This is the moment I am most ashamed of in my life. If it sounds bratty and immature, that’s because it is. I didn’t mean it. This was actually very unusual of me to say. I loved being with my mom. I work and live in the same city as my family because of them.
‘She wants to hang out with me like every day.’ That’s the last sentence I said before I got the phone call that not only changed my life but broke my heart. My phone started ringing and I pick up my little brother’s call only to hear him panicking and crying. ‘Mom’s had a seizure or something, I don’t know what to do.'”
Facebook/Erica Allen Peden
She knew there was no time to spare so she told her brother to immediately call 911.
‘”I had about 7 years of lifeguarding under my belt, so my immediate response was, ‘Hang up and call 911.’ Nick is standing up at this point, very concerned. I didn’t know it, but at that point, my mom had already died. She didn’t have a seizure but died from a pulmonary embolism. Basically, she was gone before she slid to the floor right in front of my dad. Two ambulances are there trying to treat her, I am rushing to get dressed, and crying because sometimes you just know that this moment is the life-changing one. Full of dread.
Long hospital story short, my dad knew she was gone while she was in the ER for treatment. He actually performed CPR on her after we had just had a quick course at home the week before for my mom. She wanted to know how to do CPR in case my dad, who has heart issues, had a life or death situation. All I can say to that is, ‘Wow.'”
Whenever the mother was learning how to perform CPR on her husband, she was actually showing him how to help her.
Facebook/Erica Allen Peden
‘”In about an hour, my mom had passed away and my family went into deep shock. This Oct. 23rd marks 1.5 years without talking to my mom, touching her, laughing with her, dancing to the Bee Gees together, or going to see a movie- our favorite thing to do. At 26, I am the second-oldest of 4. I had to look all three of my siblings in the eyes at different times and tell them our mom was gone while my dad and nana were with her to end care. My brother was the one to go home and clean up the carpet where she passed away because, as it happens, bodily functions take over. He was 19 at the time.”
Erica simply knew she had to be strong for her family and those around her. Although coping with this unbearable pain is tough, it taught Erica how to cherish life and how to become a better person. She has a new perspective of life and tries not to take things for granted.
‘”Since her passing, I joined a church. I share weekly meals with my nana. I planned my youngest sister’s graduation party and held a baby shower for my oldest sister. I spoke at my grandfather’s funeral, at the same place, nearly a year to the day after my mom’s, his daughter’s, funeral. I still baby my brother and he still rolls his eyes at me with a ‘Whaaat,’ since I’m probably asking for something. I call my dad at noon and 4 pm, my mom’s old lunch break and the time she left work.
It has been the longest 1.5 years of my life. I have had one dream about her. In that dream, she hugged me, and I could smell her lotion. This was about a year ago. In the dream, I finally had the chance to tell her, ‘I loved hanging out with you. I love you.’
It doesn’t matter what age you are when a parent passes. It could be a peaceful passing or something incredibly shocking. When it does happen, no matter what, you will randomly stop and think, ‘I can’t believe this happened to us.’ It sucks. It’s devastating.
The best way it can be summed up is by something the ‘This Is Us’ creator, Dan Fogleman, said. Dan also lost his mother. He said, ‘My mom died 10 years ago, unexpectedly. It’s the hinge upon which my life swings.’ If there ever was a way to describe this feeling of total loss, this it is for me.
Call your moms and dads. Call your siblings. Take your grandparents to lunch. Plan a party. Work a little too much. Talk to God often. Cry when you want to and, most of all, think about how soft your mother’s hand was when she would pat you on the leg and say, ‘Love you, baby.'”
Facebook/Erica Allen Peden
Erica’s story teaches us that we should grab every opportunity we have to tell our parents, siblings, and friends how much we appreciate their presence in our life.
Choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed is not an easy decision for a new mother to make because there is much debate about which is better for both the baby and the parent.
Many health experts state that the mother’s milk is the ultimate nutritional choice for the infant and the recommendations are for the baby to be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of their life. And although the benefits are numerous, not every mother have the possibility to breastfeed, and ultimately, it’s up to her to make the decision.
Instagram/meghankoziel
Every mother knows what’s best for her baby, and most of them have their own reasons and beliefs why their choice is better than the other. But, I guess the issue here is that the mothers are divided regarding this subject, and they are not supportive when one mother does it differently than them. This counts for both stands.
Those moms who use formula are considered selfish, while the others might be criticized for breastfeeding their babies in public places.
Being aware that she might be told off by the nurses and the medical staff for choosing to formula feed her little one, one mother decided to place a sign above her bed in order to make people aware of her situation.
Instagram/meghankoziel
Meghan Koziel is a lovely young lady whose dream of becoming a mother came true after she though that day would never come. The reason she believed the motherhood was something she would never experience was her battle with breast cancer. She was diagnosed three years ago, and she underwent a double mastectomy along with a whole host of incredibly aggressive and invasive treatments designed to treat and beat the cancer.
She was only 26 years old at that time, and her world changed completely. And although she felt like all her dreams were crushed, things turned for the better and she was abot to welcome a baby to the world.
‘”Three years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I thought my life would never ever be the same. I was forced to make so many HUGE life decisions including preserving my fertility through an egg retrieval was one of them. After two years on hormone blocking medications (because my cancer is so aggressive and highly affected my estrogen and progesterone), I made the decision to go off of my medications to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a mom!”
Kendra Jane Koziel, the miracle baby was delivered on September 15. The baby was in a perfect health condition.
‘”Cancer has changed my life forever… but looking down at this sweet little girl makes all my fears of recurrence and having to go through active treatment again fade away! I am so so so blessed and will forever Sparkle On.”
Megan felt like the happiest person on Earth and holding that baby in her arms was everything she ever dreamed of. However, because of her surgery, she wasn’t capable of breastfeeding the baby and that’s when she decided to design the pink sign.
She posted a photo of it on the social media because she believed there are other women like her out there and she wanted everyone to be aware of the battle these women fight, and being judged for not breastfeeding their newborns is the last thing they should be bothered with during those joyous moments of their life.
‘”Attention please, attention please. We do indeed have a mommy-to-be who had breast cancer and a mastectomy which means, without boobs in the houseeeee! Got the banner raised just in case people are confused at why we are NOT going to be breastfeeding our little bundle of joy. Yes I have foobs, no I do not have boobs (or nipples) therefore… my body is incapable of breastfeeding.”
Instagram/meghankoziel
Megan says that posting that sign saved her time explaining her choices over and over again, to everyone who would enter her room.
The sign read:
‘”No Breastfeeding Zone
Though breastfeeding is a very special task,
Please be aware before you ask.
Our miracle baby will be formula fed,
And it will not affect her future ahead.
This Mommy is a Survivor”
Sadly, Meghan still receives unsolicited advice from strangers, she shared with Parents. Her local breast milk bank only provides milk to preemies and multiples, there is no insurance coverage for mastectomy patients and tested donor milk sells for $3-5 for one ounce.
‘”I was then referred to local Facebook milk donation groups but was turned off because the milk has no way of being tested. Yes, breast milk is fabulous and filled with utmost nutrition… however, it can also carry disease! I am not willing to risk my daughter’s life simply to use breast milk when formula has been used for years and there is no known difference from a breastfed to formula fed baby.”
Meghan’s daughter is a proof that miracles do happen and she hopes the sign will give hope to others who are in the same situation in which she once was. She wants to tell these women that nothing is impossible.
‘”All survivors who are wanting to be moms, never ever give up hope! Doctors cannot guarantee fertility, but if you think about it… fertility isn’t guaranteed for anyone in life! Miracles happen, and whether you can conceive naturally, through IVF, or adoption… there is ALWAYS a way to become a mom! You just have to find the path and trust in it once it’s found.”
Instagram/meghankoziel
Meghan also encouraged all moms to make the decision of whether they will breastfeed or formula feed their babies based on what they believe is right. And how they should always take their own health condition into consideration as well.
‘”To all the mommies like me facing complicated health histories of facing social media trolls for how you’re raising your child, I would say… keep on being you! We all must make decisions that are best for our families, and it is truly no one else’s business if it doesn’t affect them! Raise your child surrounded by love and with happiness and that baby will be amazing.”
We thank Meghan for her courage to speak up about the issue many others are facing and to support their choices. You are truly and exceptional woman and a mother.
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with autism. Parenting a child with this kind of disorder can be really challenging because many of these kids have trouble understanding the world around them. Some features of autism are the inability to communicate (verbal and nonverbal), social withdrawal, repetitive behaviors, difficulties making eye contact.
