“I couldn’t feel the entire right side of my face, swallow, or speak. I thought I was having a stroke. I left my husband a goodbye letter. I didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
‘If I don’t make it, I love you.’ I thought I was going to die. My body was shouting at me to get those things out.’: Woman details Breast Implant Illness, ‘They’re a ticking time bomb’
‘I don’t want to die. Living like this is exhausting. It’s taken everything from me.’: Woman with chronic illnesses says ‘I feel incredibly lucky to still be here’
“I’m exhausted fighting for my life every single day, facing death so often. I’m exhausted living one day to the next and not knowing if I’m going to be alive in the morning. I’m in a never-ending nightmare. Except it’s not a nightmare. It’s my reality.”
‘This won’t be easy.’ I felt robbed of pregnancy innocence. We fought so hard for our son. We weren’t prepared for what we were about to face.’: Woman shares IVF journey, ‘I won’t give up’
“We didn’t ask many questions, just signed on the dotted line. I felt helpless. I could see my baby moving around on the screen, but I couldn’t help him.”
‘You’re just a dramatic teenager.’ I was brushed off and swept aside. Then I swallowed a bottle of Advil.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder and anxiety, ‘I use my suffering to grow’
“I set a goal to get ‘skinny’ for graduation. I was starving myself, but if anyone mentioned it, I’d become outraged. In my eyes, I was ‘finally taking care of myself’ and anyone who thought differently was just trying to tear me down.”
‘The doctor smirked. ‘The bad news is your wife is going to be a vegetable. The good news is I know a good divorce lawyer.’: Man dedicates life to curing wife’s Multiple Sclerosis
“The day after our wedding, while on our honeymoon, my wife stopped holding my hand. ‘What’s wrong?’ She began shaking. ‘Let’s step outside so we can talk,’ the ER doctor said. ‘She will never walk again and can’t give you children. You need to get a divorce immediately. With the way you look, you can free yourself of this burden.'”
‘The baby started screaming and I snapped. I hurled my coffee mug at the floor. It was the wakeup call I needed.’: Mom shares journey with postpartum anxiety, ‘We’re just trying our best’
“I bought a Doppler I used every day to make sure I could still hear a heartbeat. It should’ve been crystal clear I wasn’t okay. I spent hours Googling, ‘How to get your baby to sleep.’ I felt like I had to ‘prove’ I was a good mom.”
‘She won’t have a normal life.’ I realized things needed to change. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our disabilities.’: Woman details journey with Cerebral Palsy, ‘Love yourself always’
“I couldn’t walk like most kids or use my arms. The doctor tried to scare my parents, ‘She won’t survive.’ My mom was frightened when she heard this. She didn’t know if I would have a future or what would become of me.”
‘It’s all in your head. Just get over it.’ I tried to end my own life and no one knew. I had lost everything, including myself.’: Woman overcomes mental illness, encourages others ‘never stop fighting’
“When I went off to college, I expected my life to get so much better. I had high hopes of finally feeling whole again. But I spent my time there battling severe suicidal ideations, and I stopped eating and sleeping almost completely. My whole family watched me throw away my dream.”
‘There’s nothing we can do.’ I felt my hopes and dreams slip away. My life was falling apart and nobody could tell me why.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ‘I’ll never stop fighting’
“My body’s injustice and betrayal would send me fleeing to a quiet place where I wouldn’t be discovered by my kids. I’d hide in my closet, trying my hardest to muffle my crying. As the tears fell from my cheeks and were washed away, I’d wish they were carrying the sickness out of me.”
I Didn’t Know I Was Autistic Until Age 25, And It Was Terrifying
“After spending my entire life reassuring myself I’m not crazy, I hid my secret from everyone.”