“I should have listened to my body.”
I’ve Had Mastitis 7 Times
‘I came out to my dad, and he DIDN’T take it well. ‘I will TAKE AWAY your independence.’: Gay adoptee with cerebral palsy urges, ‘live your life on your own terms’
“I knew I was gay around 14 years old. However, because of homophobia and lack of tolerance for people with disabilities, I kept my mouth shut while SECRETLY falling in love many times.”
‘NOTHING can prepare you for motherhood. Especially when you’re only 19.’: Mom of 3 shares experience with postpartum depression
“At 5 months postpartum, we got shocking news—surprise, we’re pregnant again! I was terrified at how I, at 21, was going to manage raising babies 14 months apart.”
‘STRIP. You HAVE to wear these scrubs.’ I was being watched while I removed my underwear.’: Teen suffers abuse at psychiatric ER visits, ‘I’m not just a number in the system’
“‘Sit down. I don’t know when you’re going home, STOP asking.’ They were admitting me because I wasn’t getting along with my mom.”
‘I can’t do it, I can’t let go of my babies! He took them, ALL of them.’: Single mom of 2 shares life overcoming abuse, pregnancy loss
“The doctor said the baby’s heart was strong. I was pleading, telling him, ‘The baby is not well, HELP! Ignoring my cries, I was sent home.”
‘My husband said he wanted a divorce. I walked out of the hospital to find miracle number TWO was on its way.’: Mom details journey to co-parenting, ‘It’s not easy, but it is always worth it’
“We show the kids just because we aren’t IN love, doesn’t mean we can’t still SHOW love and be a family.”
‘A car of teenage boys drove past and yelled out, ‘Ugly!’ I was embarrassed and felt HIDEOUS.’: Young woman battles alopecia, ‘I’ve become a glass half-full kind of girl’
“I hadn’t anticipated being SO upset by the sound of the hair being cut. I couldn’t be strong anymore. I really, really cried.”
‘Can you step into my office?’ Anticipating an assignment, my research advisor abruptly stated, ‘You know you’re disabled, right?’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS discovers identity after lifelong battle with chronic illness
“After months of appointments and ER visits, doctors told me I was ‘just anxious.’ I spent my final year of college nearly bedbound, fully walker-bound. All the activities I built my life around — marching band, the gym, work, parties — fell suddenly away. With that one question, she saved my life.”
‘I feel bad for your husband, you’ve gained SO much weight!’: Mom of 5 urges ‘weight does not reflect worth’
“Last week after posting a photo of our family, I started receiving comments centered around my ‘baby weight,’ how much I’ve gained or how quickly I’ve gained it. I’m not going to lie, I noticed.”
‘Today, about a quarter of a way through my run, I felt a small pebble in my left shoe.’: Woman shares metaphor for life, urges ‘just keep going’
“I considered taking a pause, taking my shoe off, and removing the infuriating fudger. But when I got home and took off my shoe, there was no pebble to be found, not near the sole, and not in my sock. But I swear it was there – until it wasn’t.”