“’I have 2 children under the age of 2. It’s not going to be easy.’ Up with the sun came an abrupt halt and the idyllic mom vanished.”
‘I’m FINE!’ I heard my son call out. Something very wrong was happening. It was an out-of-body experience.’: Mom of 2 battles PPD, becomes advocate, ‘Motherhood shouldn’t be so hard’
‘You need to wait it out.’ I thought accepting my illness meant I was giving up. It wasn’t really living. I was simply existing.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘romanticizing my life set me free’
“I’d leave in the middle of class to throw up in the bathroom. I’d lay on the floor during lectures just so I wouldn’t pass out. I woke up choking on my own saliva. It was the hardest time of my life.”
‘A feeling came over me. ‘You’ll be the one to do this.’ My new purpose was to give my dad what he gave me—life.’: Man donates kidney to dad during pandemic, ‘Family is everything’
“My mom told us, ‘Dad needs help.’ There was a sense of urgency. I took the first steps to donate my kidney. The tests showed we were a match. Then I started feeling a slight tickle in my throat.”
‘You’re just having growing pains.’ I’d dislocate my knee twice a week. My joints felt like they were being ripped apart.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome after 17 years
“My doctor looked me in the eyes, ’You’re not crazy. The pain you feel is real.’ It took everything in me not to cry. For the first time in 17 years, a doctor finally believed me.”
‘That’s the best kind of cancer to have.’ I wasn’t worthy of calling myself a cancer survivor. I felt myself shrinking.’: Woman raises awareness for Melanoma, ‘My journey is valid’
“A vegan blamed me for having cancer because I eat meat. Someone told me, ‘Anyone who wears sunscreen deserves to get cancer.’ People will say YOU are the cause of your own cancer.”
‘I hate to tell you this, but there’s a MAJOR problem.’ Darkness. Shock. The whole room disappeared around me.’: Couple has baby with anencephaly, ‘He’s impacted so many lives’’
“Each week we grew more hopeful our boy would live long enough to come home. The moment he was placed in my arms was the truest love I’ve ever felt.”
‘I hope you aren’t stuck-up when you’re slimmer.’ It struck me. I’m a kind person because I’m a kind person, not because I’m fat.’: Woman details body positivity journey, ‘You are worthy’
“When I was 8, my mom bought me a new skirt. It was too small in my waist. For the rest of the day, I walked laps on our front lawn. ‘I can walk the weight away.’ I felt immense guilt about myself and my body.”
‘I was scared to stand. I presented my poem on my knees. ‘You’ve inspired us all!’ I never let my disability stop me.’: Young man shares journey with heart condition, ‘I keep pushing through’
“The bus driver accidentally dropped me and broke my leg. After that fall, I was really scared. I didn’t let it stop me. I knew Allah wouldn’t abandon me.”
‘Something happened,’ I sobbed. ‘We had a fight and she called the police. I’m going to the hospital.’ I was convinced my boyfriend would break up with me on the spot.’: Woman with Bipolar Disorder details eye-opening journey to acceptance
“I was so afraid of being ‘crazy’ I couldn’t admit I needed help when I was literally in the hospital for psych evaluation. Today, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been in my life. But it came at a price. I lost my best friend. My soul sister. I live every day in fear of the monster who lives within me.”
‘In my left hand, I held a gun. In the other was a beer. My first Christmas as a single mom without my kids was soul-wrenching.’: Woman shares grief journey, ‘Life is messy and beautiful’
“I walked up to the cashier with a plunger and a six-pack of beer. ‘Merry Christmas!’ she beamed. I’m not sure I even said anything, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see I wasn’t feeling the spirit. This wasn’t how I intended to spend Christmas Day.”