“Someone told me I’d grieve FOREVER, so that’s what I believed.”
‘I’m never going to be who I was before he died. Nor do I want to. And that’s OKAY.’: Woman shares recovery story after grieving husband’s death, ‘I know he’s happy for us’
‘The other day I was texting a new guy and felt the need to inform him I was a bigger girl. His 5-word response shook my soul.’: Woman receives touching reminder ‘a girl isn’t her size’
“I don’t know if we’ll ever become anything more than just two strangers who exchanged words the 21st century way. But I do know one thing: I will never forget him. And when you find the winning words that make you see so clearly through the fog, you hold onto them for life. And you share them with the world, too.”
‘My son invited me to the gym. I told him I couldn’t go until I was closer to the ‘old version of myself.’ How could I work out in public where people could see me?’: Mom learns important lesson on self-love
“I wanted the version of me from six years ago. She was 60 pounds lighter. She ran 5k’s. She spent 12-14 hours each week at the gym. She was a size 8. And, as teenagers are so good at doing, my son called me out on my bulls–t. And I needed it.”
‘It shouldn’t hurt that bad.’ I was weak, lazy. A complainer. Only 15, doctors had already given up on me.’: Woman diagnosed with Lupus after years of misdiagnoses urges ‘find someone who will listen’
“I could not find my words. I slurred my speech and often got lost driving to places I’d driven to a thousand times. My doctor finally explained pregnancy posed ‘too much of a risk to my life.’ But come December, I saw two little lines on a stick. This little one was determined.”
‘I think you may have Asperger’s,’ my boyfriend said nervously. He broke up with me, unsure he wanted to see me anymore.’: Woman diagnosed with autism in adulthood learns to ‘umask’ and embrace authentic identity
“I didn’t know what to think. Immediately after our conversation, I started googling… and very quickly, it became apparent to me that for the first time ever, my life was finally starting to make sense.”
‘Your eye pressure is ALARMINGLY high.’ Some days I can’t stop thinking about the ‘what-ifs.’: Woman details how infection led to living with glaucoma
“He came rushing over to take me to urgent care since I could not see to drive. ‘It’s really BAD,’ was all I could say to him through tears. It hurt to cry, but I couldn’t stop.”
‘My weight fell to that of an 8-year-old. I thought I was FAT.’: Woman battles anorexia, binge eating disorder, ‘Recovery has helped me discover myself’
“I began cycling through extreme weight loss programs, plans and fads. My efforts backfired, and I soon had a new sinister predicament with which to contend with.”
‘I was born into it. This was my family, the people who were supposed to love and protect me.’: Sex trafficking survivor beats 12-year opioid addiction, bravely embarks on self-healing journey
“Lying in a hospital bed, after a 12-year battle with opiates, I knew I had to face the truth. I had to stop running from my childhood. I needed to face it head on, no matter how difficult. I transformed myself in front of the people who broke me, and then I left them all behind.”
‘What? We had a twin?!’ I had two eggs. One my healthy twin, the other forming into cancer.’: Brave mom survives rare choriocarcinoma, now advocates for others
“I was told I had a heavy period, I was pregnant, or I was miscarrying, none of which were true. By this time I felt a huge ball, almost like a crowning baby. I came to realize if I did not get help quickly, I was going to bleed to death.”
‘Even in the pouring rain the crowds were INCREDIBLE. ‘You got this! Good job! I believe in you!’: Woman with eyesight loss fulfills her dream of finishing Boston Marathon
“I’ve had challenges bigger than running the Boston Marathon and losing my eyesight. When I dream big, when I am persistent and don’t give up, I create a life that’s rich, peaceful, and full of JOY.”