‘She Said Yes’: Mom Shares How a Special-Needs Teacher Had Her Bawling

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Hanrahan

“I knew his teacher was already married, so it struck me as odd,” was Stephanie Hanrahan’s first reaction when she came across a photo of her son’s teacher holding a sign that read, “She Said Yes!” The confusion, however, soon turned into tears after she learned the story behind it.

Stephanie, a mother of two from Dallas, Texas, often receives compliments from outsiders for her “perfect” family photos. But unbeknownst to others lies the truth—her husband, Shawn, 34, has a failing heart, and her two children, Campbell, 5, and Eli, 3, have autism. Meanwhile, her own story is just as complicated, ranging from anxiety to infertility and abuse.