Love What Matters

Love What Matters For sponsorship inquiries, email [email protected]

The premier platform for feel-good stories that remind us to Our pain. Successes.

OUR STORY

A resident of New York, Colin Balfe founded Love What Matters back in 2015 after his mother passed from ovarian cancer. Knowing he would have a difficult time with her death, his mother prompted him to find a way to use his grief, creativity, and sensitivity to create something beautiful to bring to the world. Amid his personal journey with grief, Colin developed a new perspective on li

fe and found he was not alone in his feelings of grief, loss, and heartache, or in his search for meaning. What started as just a page with extraordinary stories, Love What Matters grew into a destination media platform. We now operate across multiple platforms, site, newsletter, YouTube, podcast, print, and so much more. Here at Love What Matters, our mission is simple: to spread real stories by real people just like you far and wide that celebrate the love, compassion, kindness, and overcoming. In doing so, we hope to remind others that these things do not happen by default; they’re a daily choice.

➣ Visit our website: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/

OUR MISSION

These stories are bigger than any one of us, yet they represent every one of us. Our vulnerabilities. Weaknesses. Flaws. Generosity. And, of course, our hopes and dreams about who we aspire to be. One of the first of its kind, we are a positive news movement that yearns to be the much-needed bright spot on your feed or device, balancing out the seemingly inescapable dark and heavy news we are struck with in our everyday lives. With our new and improved newsletter, Living Better, which has amassed over 210,000 readers to date, we aim to provide evidence-backed advice, actionable steps, and moving stories to inspire and rally you to live your most fulfilling life.

➣ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/newsletter/

OUR EDITORIAL PROCESS

Subject matter:

Whether first-person stories or highly-researched articles, we cover a range of topics including love and relationships, kindness, grief healing, family, and parenting, all with one common denominator: to remind you what matters most in life. How we publish content:

At Love What Matters, you are our top priority. We want our editorial process and standards to be clear and transparent, so here are some important highlights on how it all works:

Small but mighty, our highly-skilled editorial team discovers, curates, edits, and publishes compelling first-person stories from first-time or recurring contributors, making sure they are grammatically sound, accurate, and up-to-date before our cursors hit the publish button. In addition to first-person stories, our outstanding and seasoned freelance team crafts articles that provide highly-researched and accurate tips, advice, and information pertaining to our audience-favorite topics. Submissions process:

In addition to the hidden gem stories our editorial team discovers, we accept first-person story submissions through our website’s submission portal for publishing consideration and development, no matter what stage you are in your draft. Once you submit your story to our submissions portal, our editorial team will get back to you as soon as possible via the email address you’ve provided with requests for additional details, photos, or crediting information as needed. Once all the necessary materials are obtained, we will begin building your story behind-the-scenes until it is fully edited, polished, and ready to go live on our site. We cordially invite domain experts and individuals with a powerful story to share to submit any time.

➣ Submit your story: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/submissions/

Diversity pledge:

As an editorial team who specializes in publishing first-person storytelling, inclusivity is extremely important to us. We believe in the value and importance of sharing stories from all walks of life, and the power it has to foster a more empathetic and kind world. For this reason, we are deeply committed to elevating stories, voices, and perspectives from individuals across all races, sexes, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, ages, body types, cultures, abilities, and experiences. HAVE FEEDBACK? We would love to hear from you! If you have a comment, suggestion, or question, please feel free to contact us any time at [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

"That spring, Rob and I bought a used travel trailer on Craigslist. We retrofitted the interior designed for weekend cam...
12/18/2025

"That spring, Rob and I bought a used travel trailer on Craigslist. We retrofitted the interior designed for weekend camping into a home on wheels for six road warriors. I ripped out the little dinette table and sofa, and Rob built a bed that would fit our kids. I wallpapered a wall in the camper and hung a highway map of the United States. We would slow life down by accelerating to 70 mph. Together, as a family, we’d hit the road.

That spring and summer, we logged over 13,000 miles as family. Rob worked remotely, and I homeschooled our kids. We crisscrossed the United States from the Pacific Northwest all the way to New England and back again. We visited more than a dozen national parks, hiked mountains, and reveled in unplugged, uninterrupted family time together. Our son celebrated his birthday outside of Zion Canyon in Utah. Our daughter lost a tooth in the car as we drove across the Continental Divide in Colorado. We’d never lived outside so much, and we loved it."

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"On Jordan Benewiat’s 8th birthday her mom got drunk. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Jordan, or her brother Jarr...
12/18/2025

"On Jordan Benewiat’s 8th birthday her mom got drunk. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Jordan, or her brother Jarred to see, but this night she was violent and tore up their house. When her boyfriend came home from out of town, he called the police and the two children were immediately placed in foster care.

Despite not having familial connections, Steven Benewiat wanted the two kids in his care, so they could continue to build their life together. When the state found no other homes that could take both siblings, he was able to gain emergency care.

“The first time I saw my dad cry was the day he thought we were being taken by the state,” Jordan tells Love What Matters. “I had no idea why he was crying in the courtroom but when he explained it to me I burst into tears and he just hugged me until we had to leave. Luckily by divine intervention, he was given emergency foster rights.”

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“I had always wanted to be a mother, so I was thrilled when I became pregnant at almost 33 years old. I hadn’t even met ...
12/18/2025

“I had always wanted to be a mother, so I was thrilled when I became pregnant at almost 33 years old. I hadn’t even met my son yet, but was already head over heels. I couldn’t wait to meet him, to hold him. Apparently, he was feeling the same way.

I was 27 weeks into my healthy pregnancy when I went into labor for no apparent reason. At the hospital, my doctor did an amniocentesis while I was in full contractions. It felt like ancient torture but confirmed I had no infection or reason to be in labor. After a few days of hospital bedrest, I was ambulanced to a bigger hospital with a NICU. I laid there, for two weeks, and was told, ‘You can’t leave until your son is born.’"

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"A year went by and I decided to get tested to see if I could be a suitable donor. By the time I was approved, however, ...
12/18/2025

"A year went by and I decided to get tested to see if I could be a suitable donor. By the time I was approved, however, my dad’s health started to rapidly decline. The doctor told us, ‘He’s too sick for a transplant now.’ We spent the next two years trying to get him healthy enough for surgery."

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"Because of working in NICU and seeing what I have seen, I always knew I wanted to help a couple become parents. I have ...
12/18/2025

"Because of working in NICU and seeing what I have seen, I always knew I wanted to help a couple become parents. I have three beautiful children and my husband and I knew we were done having children. We initially looked into surrogacy. I had three wonderful, easy pregnancies and deliveries. I felt the most comfortable in my body when I was pregnant and enjoyed every moment. I just didn’t want to go through an agency to become a surrogate because of the high cost to the potential parents. So, I was just waiting for someone that needed me."

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"No one could’ve known I was reading those comments with a pit in my throat, probably from the comfort of my bed, the on...
12/18/2025

"No one could’ve known I was reading those comments with a pit in my throat, probably from the comfort of my bed, the one I refused to leave even for meals. It would be impossible to predict that behind closed doors I was crumbling; a woman on the verge of a mental break. One who had spent the last few years trying to save that very same ‘perfect’ family."

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"Surrogacy isn’t the easiest of journeys in the United Kingdom, mainly because of supply and demand issues. Surrogacy in...
12/18/2025

"Surrogacy isn’t the easiest of journeys in the United Kingdom, mainly because of supply and demand issues. Surrogacy in the UK has to be done in an altruistic basis (i.e. a non-commercial arrangement). What this means is the surrogate has to do it out of the goodness of her heart. You are, as intended parents, permitted to reimburse your surrogate for pregnancy expenses and these are typically in the region of £8,000 – £14,000 (sometimes lower or higher depending on the amount of expenses incurred). For this reason, unlike some states in USA, there are certainly more people who would love the help of a surrogate than there are surrogates willing to help.

We reviewed all our options. We spoke to agencies, we looked abroad and ultimately, we decided it was a UK journey that would be the right match. We did not have a spare £150,000 to afford U.S. surrogacy."

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“‘I feel unqualified for what you’re calling me to. But Lord, with your strength, I’ve got no excuse, because broken peo...
12/18/2025

“‘I feel unqualified for what you’re calling me to. But Lord, with your strength, I’ve got no excuse, because broken people are exactly who you use.’ – Sanctus Real, Confidence

When God planted the dream of surrogacy in my heart, the lyrics of this song perfectly expressed how I felt. I knew He led me to that point for a reason, and He’d equip me to fulfill this calling. You see, nine years ago my husband and I were told as newlyweds that we had a 2% chance of natural conception due to male factor infertility. We learned our best chance to become parents would be by pursuing IVF. It felt like a slap across the face. I’d always wanted to be a mother. Hearing those words, it felt like my dream was ripped away from me."

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"2 months into this arrangement I had become fairly close to my landlords. Their family was incredible and I appreciated...
12/18/2025

"2 months into this arrangement I had become fairly close to my landlords. Their family was incredible and I appreciated the friendship. They told me they had a friend who was single and asked me if I wanted to do a double date of sorts with them. I was a bit hesitant at first but it didn’t take much convincing. She exchanged our numbers and we started talking. The first time we met was a scheduled arrangement to watch Super Cross upstairs with my landlords, now friends. We are going to call my date Justin because I don’t feel it necessary to reveal identities of anyone in this story except myself.

Justin seemed super down to earth and sweet. We hit it off immediately. He was a single dad raising his son alone. His ex-wife had gotten wrapped up into drugs and was at the time incarcerated and had been in and out of prison. As a single mom myself I found it incredibly attractive that he had stepped up, took care of his son, kept a steady job and was responsible."

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"It all began a few years ago when I saw a viral Facebook video that documented the pregnancy and delivery of a surrogat...
12/18/2025

"It all began a few years ago when I saw a viral Facebook video that documented the pregnancy and delivery of a surrogate baby. My curiosity on the subject was sparked. It was so easy for me to get pregnant and carry my babies and as a result, I had no idea the depths of other people’s infertility struggles. Through a little research, I was astounded and saddened by the statistics of women unable to get pregnant or carry their own babies. My heart broke for them. Being a mother is something I consider my greatest joy, and I couldn’t imagine the person I would be without my children. I kind of just decided right then and there, I would become a gestational carrier."

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“We started our journey of growing our family about four years ago. In 2015, what started as periods that would keep me ...
12/18/2025

“We started our journey of growing our family about four years ago. In 2015, what started as periods that would keep me home in bed, ended up as the most severe pain I have ever experienced. I was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis. I was told we could try to have another baby, however, it was not likely I could carry full term. It would be dangerous for both me and the child because my uterus was very thin. The prognosis was a half-hysterectomy. The doctor wanted me to keep my ovaries due to my young age of 23."

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"June was here before we knew it and it was go time! I downloaded an app on my phone that would help me track my cycles,...
12/18/2025

"June was here before we knew it and it was go time! I downloaded an app on my phone that would help me track my cycles, tell me when I should be ovulating depending on the information I entered in, and other important details to help us maximize our efforts. My first cycle off of birth control was July and I was able to update the app accordingly. The app told me which days I should be most fertile and we took advantage of them! August came and I did not have a cycle. Could this have actually worked the first time?! We were in disbelief and nervous to take the first pregnancy test. Disappointment set in when the test was negative. I assumed I was just late and my cycle would show up soon."

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129 West 29th Street
New York, NY
10001

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