“I eventually started looking in the mirror and hating myself. Why wasn’t I perfect? Why wasn’t I happy now I had lost more weight? So, I continued to lose it. And lose it. And lose it.”
‘My boyfriend said, ‘I don’t want to be with a slob.’ I became fitness obsessed. My wardrobe shifted to gym clothes only. If I went to bed hungry, I was a winner.’: Woman shares journey to self-love after eating disorder battle
‘He’ll grow out of it,’ they’d say. I didn’t. I spent YEARS masking myself to fit who I thought I needed to be. I learned to celebrate my differences.’: LGBTQ man waiting for autism diagnosis, ‘I was BORN this way’
“I began to only stim in the privacy of my bedroom or the bathroom and treated it like a dirty secret I’d hopefully grow out of, along with my attraction to boys and all things deemed feminine.“
‘You have MULTIPLE disorders, all at once.’ I’ve been home-bound for 5 YEARS. I didn’t know I had this COURAGE.’: Chronic migraine sufferer shares journey, ‘NEVER stop pushing’
“There will be days when you have to take the pain minute by minute. You’ll dig deep and find a strength you didn’t know was humanly possible.”
‘Why would you want to date someone with a disability?’ They didn’t understand. His disability doesn’t make him less worthy of love.’: Interabled couple share unique love story
“I saw a video about a man who was searching for love. He was handsome, adventurous. ‘It’s like we’ve known each other for a long time.’ His disability didn’t make him less worthy of love.”
‘A tear of pride rolled down his cheek. ‘My son.’ Even if my husband was on the other side of the world, we were together.’: Military wife shares son’s journey with Down syndrome, ‘Focus on the good’
“My husband and I sat silently in the front seat of my car. ‘Your baby has Trisomy 21.’ For a moment, my heart stung. My husband deployed to the Middle East for 6 months. Our adventure continued.”
‘Can you adopt my baby?’ 6 weeks later, our world came crashing down. ‘How could this happen AGAIN?’: Couple battling infertility share foster care journey, ‘There’s purpose in the pain’
“All the puzzle pieces came together right before our eyes. ‘There’s no way we can experience any more loss.’ We received the most dreaded message… it didn’t feel real. I knew there were miracles to come.”
‘The nurse let out a huge gasp. ‘I’m sorry, we thought you were sleeping!’ I wasn’t supposed to hear. Heavily pregnant, all I could think was, ‘Is is true? Do I have it?’: Mom details battle with ovarian cancer, survivor’s guilt
“I woke up in a hospital room, my husband at my bedside and my dad across from me. All I remember saying was, ‘Is it true?’ Inside me was a tumor the size of a cantaloupe, and a baby the size of a plum.”
‘Do you tell the guy? Can you DATE?’ It came on SO fast. I’m preparing myself for the future, incurable or not.’: Woman diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, ‘It won’t stop me from living’
“I started tripping. People called me ‘clumsy.’ I thought it was normal because people trip over things, don’t they? It all happened unexpectedly. ‘I’m going blind. I’m really going blind.’ It came on SO fast.”
‘Everyone was staring. I’m quietly praying, ‘Please help us.’ Then I look over, and I’m FIGHTING back tears.’: Mom shares touching act of kindness with Walmart employee
“Ava screamed across the store. She was in distress…overstimulated by the lights and the many sounds. I was FRANTIC. I look over and Conner came over to hold her hand, while repeatedly telling us everything was going to be OK.”
‘If I sent you home now, I’d be ashamed to call myself a nurse.’ She held my hand, and advocated for me.’: Chronic illness warrior inspired to become nurse after act of kindness
“I relied on nurses for almost everything. Without hesitation, they lifted my spirits and held my hand. They allowed me to trust the health care system again and reclaim my passion. I knew I wanted to be part of that change.”