These Extraordinary True Stories Will Remind You About the Power of Trust
I trusted my doctor and my gut instincts—and it saved my son’s life
“Due to several health complications, my son was born five weeks premature. I thought everything was fine but a week later I was changing his diaper and found blood in his stool. In a total panic I called the pediatrician and she told me it was probably just blood from nursing due to a cracked nipple. In my heart this didn’t feel right so I looked around for a second opinion. The second doctor took me seriously and suggested a scan just to be cautious. I decided to trust him and we discovered that my son had necrotizing enterocolitis, a very serious intestinal illness common in premature infants that can sometimes be fatal. Time was of the essence. If we had waited even one more day he could have died. He was admitted and treated for 14 days in the hospital. Today he is 13 years old, thanks to my trust in a fantastic team of doctors and in my own motherly instincts.” (If you’re inspired, here’s how to tap into your own intuition to help your health.) —Lisa Randolph, Richmond, VA
I trusted my baby—and we both survived
“Vomiting when you’re pregnant usually isn’t that unusual, but when I was 21 weeks along and suddenly gained 30 pounds while vomiting every time I ate or drank I knew something was seriously wrong. I went into the hospital hoping I just had the stomach flu but was shocked when they told me I was in acute heart failure. (Nausea is just one of 10 silent symptoms of heart disease!) After a few days of testing the doctors told me that the only way to save my life was to abort my son. I was heartbroken. There was nothing wrong with my baby boy, and after they decreased the amount of fluid I was retaining, I felt pretty healthy too. Yet, I was told that if I chose to keep the pregnancy both of us would likely die. (Here’s how to find a doctor you can trust.) “It was an agonizing decision. I didn’t want to die but I felt strongly like my son was telling me it would all work out just fine. Every time I saw him in the ultrasound I had a powerful feeling that he was fine and I would be fine too. I decided to trust him and my body and kept the pregnancy. My son Ethan is three now and we both are doing great! Labor and delivery were textbook perfect. I ended up getting a heart transplant when he was 6 months old and have recovered well. Two weeks ago, we had our second baby, this time with a surrogate. Every night when I tuck both my kids into bed, I’m grateful all over again that I trusted my little guy.” —Ali Barton, Dedham, MA
I trusted my husband—and now our marriage is stronger than ever
“Like so many people, this past election was incredibly difficult for me. In the months that followed, I became completely obsessed with political news coverage. All day every day I was glued to my phone, reading news sites and social media constantly. Understandably this didn’t make me great company. Politics was all I thought about, all I wanted to talk about. And my husband and I fought about politics a lot. “Then a couple of months ago my husband sat me down, telling me my behavior had gotten out of control and he was worried about me—and about us. “I don’t want this election to be the reason we get divorced,” he said. “You need therapy.” “At first I was defensive but then I remembered how much he’d always loved me and what a great husband and father he was. I knew I needed to trust him. Once I tuned out the political noise I realized my husband was right—I was stressed out, angry, sleepless, and neglecting the most important people in my life. I was obsessed. Making myself sick by constantly poring over the latest on social media wasn’t helping anyone. It wasn’t that my husband didn’t respect my right to my beliefs, but rather that he hated watching me suffer so much. “Since then, I’ve been able to disengage with politics and re-engage with my family and community. Trusting my husband saved my mental health and my marriage.” (Here are the signs you can trust your partner.) —Natalie Benson, New York City, NY
