‘We can’t go back to our normal life’
(Part 2 of 3) “We’re glad to have him home again. But life here is still not the same. “Justin had to relearn how to walk. His left arm got some nerve damage, and it’s barely...
Category: Short Stories
‘I didn’t know if he was going to make it’
(Part 1 of 3) “To be honest, we didn’t think COVID was that bad. It seemed like a lot of people getting sick got over it, and they weren’t hospitalized. I got COVID in August 2020....
‘Being a widow was a new chapter in my life’
“My husband [Jack Spurlock] passed away a few years ago. He had Parkinson’s. “It started with tremors in his hands. He would go to drink his coffee, and he would shake a little bit. He’d have...
‘What’s a beautiful memory for you was a nightmare for me’
“When I was a little kid, my father took me to see an uncle in the hospital in Mexico. My uncle had gotten into an argument with his dad, my grandfather. It was over money he...
‘I had a lot of confusion about how a man should treat a woman’
“I grew up in a household where I never saw affection. Well, I saw it from one individual, the female, but not from the male. He was always too macho. “It was a physically abusive environment....
He doesn’t let dyslexia define him
“I have dyslexia. I started really noticing it near the end of my sophomore year in high school. I had trouble staying focused on one topic, and I would mix-match letters sometimes. “It was kind of...
He finds that saving money pays off
“I just moved into an apartment. Just got a new car. Just got this dog. It all happened in one month. It’s exciting. It’s the next step, the next chapter for me. “The dog was kind...
Young mother proud of sons and herself
“I was really young when I had my boys. I got pregnant at 12, and I was 15 when I had the second one. Basically, I was raising my babies while I was still a baby....
She continues her mother’s life lessons
“I remember everything. I was 7 years old when she started being nauseous and feeling weak. I would walk her to the restroom and back to the living room. At first, she thought she was pregnant....
Caregiver redirects efforts to help elderly
“I got my CNA [certified nursing assistant] license and started working at an all-boys CPS [Child Protective Services] facility. I went in there with a good mental state a year ago. I thought I could handle...
