“My empty space in photographs was an open wound; I’d cry scrolling through Instagram, feeling left out and forgotten, wondering when things would change. I’ve read time and again people are grateful for their illness because it’s shown them who their true friends are. But what do you do when your illness proves you had almost no true friends at all?”
“Dr. Indigo Willing decided to challenge herself with a new hobby.”
“As time passed, I saw major changes in my once happy, carefree child. He was withdrawn and started to not like playing with his siblings or classmates. The doctor told me it was ‘just a side effect.’ My mom gut told me something wasn’t right.”
“I woke up in the hospital with a tube in my throat. I missed my brother’s funeral. In my heart, I could hear him say, ‘You got this, sis.’ I knew there was no turning back.”
“When other parents of deaf children took notice, requests for more custom dolls came pouring in!”
“My pre-baby body didn’t birth four human beings. My pre-baby body didn’t know the true meaning of sacrifice, sleepless nights. My pre-baby body didn’t know love like I know now.”
“Baby Ellianna hasn’t been able to hear at all… until now!”
“‘You’re fine. I’ll call the doctor, but it’s probably nothing.’ They pulled mother aside and asked if she was sure I wasn’t pregnant. ‘99% sure.’ When the test came back negative, we were told, ‘All your daughter’s organs are covered with a huge mass.'”
“I’ve been a lazy, lucky lad from the fetal stage. Just kidding, lol. I consider my negative thoughts as a challenge to be handled, not a problem I can’t control.”
“I went through the first 12 years of my diagnosis without looking for others like me. I was in a super dark and suicidal place. I had no idea who to turn to or what to do.”
