“Some thought they should speak loud and slow, as if I was dumb and incapable. ‘Young lady, I want a cappuccino, you know COFFEE with FOAM?!’ Others tipped me too much and said things like, ‘I admire your strength and positivity.’”
‘I can’t hear youuuu, I’m deaf!’ Kids mocked me. I started to realize the world wasn’t so kind.’: Deaf woman advocates for change, ‘I’m just as human as you are’
‘Redheads are witches!’ From my first breath, I was different. I had to find love within myself.’: Bullying survivor shares journey to self-love
“My hair put me in the spotlight. People thought I was strange or unhappy, but on the inside was a party full of light and laughter. I had to choose ME.”
‘You’re too young to have a sexual preference.’ I was bullied RELENTLESSLY. I was to find a wife and lead my household.’: Non-binary LGBTQ person shares journey, ‘Your queerness is your MAGIC’
“After SO much pain and anguish, I felt relief. I wasn’t changed, but for the first time, I accepted myself. For the first time, I said out loud, ‘I am gay.'”
‘How could any guy be interested in me? I’d stare in the mirror, disgusted and wondering, ‘Why me?’ Makeup became my security blanket.’: Woman with Port Wine Stain, Blue Nevus urges ‘self-love starts when you stop comparing’
“Recently, I was asked, ‘Would you remove it if you could?’ I thought about it: ‘No.’ 10-year-old me would have never believed I’d be saying this!”
‘I’m sending over a file. It’s a little boy with medical needs.’ I was in the middle of a Waffle House. The day, the time, the minute came when I could finally hold him.’: Family adopt boy with facial difference, hearing impairment, ‘We will continue the torch’
“As I held our son, I wept for his first mommy and daddy. Their sacrifice and dedication to love were beyond unfathomable. I kissed him on his little forehead, and quietly promised to first mommy and daddy I would continue the torch lit by their sacrifice. I would adore our son. I would honor his story. And I would teach him about sacrificial love.”
‘Open your eyes. Be my mommy again,’ I wailed. Was it possible to lose both parents on the same day?’: Woman shares journey after losing parents to brain cancer, ‘We are not guaranteed time’
“I tucked her rosary into her hands as I played her favorite song, leaned over, and kissed her forehead. And with that, she was gone. With the same quiet softness with which she cradled me in her arms as a babe and whispered me a lullaby, she slipped out of this world and onto the next, where my dad was waiting to greet her.”
‘Your tests came back fine, just do yoga.’ I spent 29 years thinking I was weak. I was done feeling like a victim.’: Chronic illness warrior welcomes rainbow baby, ‘I’m proud of who I am’
“When I went to doctors, I didn’t get answers. Instead, I entered into a world of discrimination and trauma. ‘You just want pain meds.’ I’d need a lot of strength for the next part of my journey.”
‘Can you spare some milk?’ Her child was having a hard time with formula. My eyes were opened to a whole new world.’: Mom donates breastmilk to those in need, ‘It’s ALL worth it’
“I’d fantasize about calling in sick to work and checking into a hotel just to sleep. I wanted to quit.”
‘I yelled, ‘Someone tell me what is wrong!’ Tears streamed down my face. I knew something was different about this pregnancy, and it was NOT just the pandemic.’: Teen mom turned special needs mom shares journey with Down syndrome
“I was 16 and pregnant. A statistic, as most saw it. ‘I cannot do this, I’m not cut out for this.’ I remember thinking our life was over, but little did we know, it was just starting.”
‘She casually started talking about ‘OUR SON.’ Then I realized I was 2 weeks late.’: Couple surprised by miracle baby after open adoption, ‘It was meant to be!’
“I felt queasy. ‘What’s wrong?’ I’d never seen a positive, EVER. Something felt different this time. After only 30 seconds, the results were in. Our lives changed forever.”