“On days I was running low on pills, I’d be so irritable and on edge. I wanted help so badly, but I was so ashamed. I’d go to his house to steal pills. How did I let this happen? Oh my God, I am a drug addict.”
‘I’ll just get a few to hold me over.’ That one trip turned into 4 years. I couldn’t believe that little pill had total control over my life.’: Woman overcomes addiction, ‘You’re not alone’
‘I grabbed my stomach. ‘Call the doctor!’ The nurses whispered over my charts. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.’: Mom births rainbow baby after stillbirth, ‘Find beauty through ashes’
“’Really? Haven’t I been through enough?’ I stared at him blankly. The flashing lights and the cold temperature of the metal board my body was put on led me to a profound peacefulness.”
‘You’re going to be fine. Stop overthinking.’ My worst nightmare came true. I woke up and I couldn’t see.’: Woman diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, ‘You can get through ANYTHING’
“Fear of my own health stopped me from leaving the house, meeting new people, and taking a job. I was only 17 and every day, I thought, ‘Today is my last day.’ I’ll never be the same again.”
‘It’s the next worse thing to dying.’ Covid didn’t kill me. It took my life.’: Covid ‘long hauler’ urges ‘please be part of the solution’
“How am I supposed to be the mom I pictured when I can’t even get out of bed? Most doctors don’t believe us or know how to help.”
‘This can’t be happening. They can’t take our baby!’ We couldn’t just have ‘normal.’ Only 200 people in the WORLD have this.’: Special needs mom shares daughter’s journey, ‘Love is strong’
“I let myself live in the land of denial for quite a long time. I allowed myself to live under the ‘she’s a preemie’ excuse as we began to notice delays. Surely she’d catch up.”
‘Oh my gosh, there’s a HEARTBEAT! I’m a MOM!’ The doctor looked puzzled and NOT happy.’: Couple experiences infertility, NICU, ‘I’m enjoying life as a mom’
“I caught my breath. I asked the doctor, ‘Is that a heartbeat?’ He didn’t look happy. I couldn’t understand. He then answered ‘Yes, but I’m sorry.’ I was completely numb.”
‘You’re hired!’ My boy’s face lit up. He cannot read social cues and gets easily overwhelmed. But they gave him a chance.’: Mom thanks restaurant for hiring son with autism, ‘There are still good people’
“‘We’ve never hired someone like this before, but we’re willing to give it a try!’ For 2 years now, my son has wanted a job. This probably seems pretty normal. Except he isn’t an ordinary teenager. He is a teenager with autism.”
‘Why not have your OWN kid first?’ He’s JUST as much ‘our own’ as any biological child. He crushes every ‘impossible’ goal.’: Family adopts son with autism, ‘It’s better than we dreamed’
“They told us, ‘He may never speak full sentences or want to leave the house.’ His smile lit up the room. We pushed him to be the BEST he could be.”
‘We eloped. 3 weeks later, my wife said her stomach was bothering her. ‘I need to call 911! I screamed. Her words became jumbled, her face contorted.’: LGBTQ+ newlywed details sudden journey with stroke, Moyamoya disease
“Her words became jumbled…like she was speaking into a tin can in slow motion. Her face contorted into a shape I will never forget. She’d never been sick, never had health issues. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. We rushed to the hospital. ‘I need to give her a kiss and tell her how much I love her.’ We went from newlyweds to part of a club no one signs up for.”
‘I thought people had to be pretty to work here.’ I acted like I wasn’t bothered, but I cried the whole night.’: Woman with psoriatic arthritis says she ‘isn’t defined’ by her condition
“It was no bigger than a penny, but I wasn’t really concerned. Then a customer said, ‘What’s on your face?’ My boss asked if I was okay, and I put on a brave face and acted as if I wasn’t bothered. Neither of us could believe what had just happened.”