Amanda Doulos is a digital editor for Love What Matters based in New York City. She will graduate from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of English Literature and Spanish in Spring 2023. She loves staying involved as vice president of the mock trial team and secretary of Spanish Honor Society. In her free time, she loves reading, traveling, and spending time with friends.
“I found myself missing school daily. I’d wake up, feel a little sick, and have a full-blown panic attack. Panic attacks made me hate every second of my life. I wanted to end it all.”
“My parents were told, ‘You probably won’t see his 20th birthday.’ I was in complete shock, fear ran through me. But I live with a ‘NO EXCUSE’ attitude.”
“I was devastated at the thought of being just another set of young parents who couldn’t make it work. We were still raising a child together. Four adults opened their hearts to ensure this little boy never felt like he was missing out.”
“I handed them their baby boy. I wasn’t giving my child away. I was placing him into the arms of two loving parents who would always be a part of my life.”
“I pulled out my stationery box from where it was collecting dust in a closet. For the first time in weeks, I was energized and felt like I was making a difference! As I put the letters in my mailbox, I had the desire for this to become something bigger.”
“I never knew where breastfeeding would lead me. I never had an end goal in mind. To be honest with you, I didn’t know any of this was possible.”
“It wasn’t until the first few times I completely crapped my pants in public I started taking my illness seriously. I blacked out, screaming, ‘Help me!’ Something wasn’t right. I had to take back the life I’d lost.”
“The employees were kind and talked to me about their situation with tears in their eyes. My heart dropped to the floor. It opened my eyes to the difficulties so many go through.”
“I was taught, if you do what you’re supposed to and look how you’re supposed to look, you can and ‘deserve’ to drink, smoke, and vandalize when people aren’t looking.”
“I spilled my secrets to her. It became a fight and resulted in me dumping my stash of clothes. I vowed to never talk about it again.”
