“I walked out of the office and something just clicked. I didn’t want to live my life this way anymore. The racing heart, nausea, paralyzing fear, uncontrollable shaking. I knew in my heart there had to be some other option.”
‘My psychiatrist said, ‘Technically, you’re on the highest dose I can legally prescribe you…’ At 8, I’d had my first panic attack. I didn’t want to live life this way anymore.’: Young woman details journey with anxiety
‘Did I make you feel invisible, like you didn’t matter?’ I felt torn in two. Her needs surpassed yours, and I couldn’t change it.’: Autism mom pens touching letter to son, ‘You are my life raft’
“You went on to say it’s okay, and it’s not her fault, and it’s not my fault. It’s just what is. I cry as I type this.”
‘I heard him opening the safe. I asked what he was doing. I thought he fell. That’s when I saw the smoke and his lifeless body next to me.’: Woman loses husband to suicide, ‘Have courage and talk about the hard things’
“At 6 a.m., he got up to get a glass of water. I do not know what he actually drank, but when he came back into the bedroom, I heard him opening the safe. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud noise.”
‘They found a tumor in my eye.’ We were both 24 and just starting out our lives. So, I married him. Our wedding was the last time he saw me from both eyes.’: Young mom loses husband to Uveal Melanoma, ‘We survived by living in the moment’
“‘Ian is dying. There is cancer everywhere! Did no one tell you this?!’ We made it to Hawaii. In the back of my mind, I knew he wouldn’t be coming back. I had not only lost my husband, my soulmate, and the father of my two children, but I also lost our beautiful future together.”
‘She’ll never have a boyfriend!’ My dad rushed out of the room. It looked like I’d been punched in the cheek.’: Woman with Port Wine Stain overcomes bullying, ‘Be kind to yourself’
“A classmate pointed at my birthmark and laughed, ‘Is that dried spaghetti sauce all over your face?’ My face was blotchy and far from perfect. I was mortified.”
‘I just ate a really big breakfast.’ It was a lie. I was starving, but I convinced myself I had it under control.’: Woman recovers from anorexia, ‘I love the person I am’
“I had a problem. But I had no idea how to ask for help. I sobbed when my mom placed dinner in front of me. ‘We’re going to the doctor.’ I was terrified, but I wasn’t so alone anymore.”
‘Please, get me my husband!’ I could only hold her tiny hand through a hole in a plastic box.’: NICU baby survives the odds, ‘She’s tiny but so strong’
‘They watched helplessly as I was wheeled away. ‘Is she breathing?’ She was so tiny but SO strong.”
‘They gave me a shot in each leg. ‘What if I lose her?’ It seemed like seconds before the nurses returned with news.’: Couple welcomes rainbow baby after ectopic pregnancy, ‘I regained my belief in miracles’
“I was sent to surgery to remove my fallopian tube, and an estimated 30% of my fertility. I was terrified my dreams of a family were lost in the operating room.”
‘If he hadn’t reached out, he would’ve been dead. This is something everyone needs to hear.’: Loved one shares reality of what’s ‘brewing’ beneath the surface of COVID-19
“COVID-19 almost killed my friend, but not in the way you’re thinking. His addiction was not something anyone saw coming.”
‘I restarted my profile and started swiping. He was nice, funny, and so easy to talk to. ‘Okay, I guess I can try dating you.’: Divorcee talks online dating in the pandemic, ‘Coincidence? Fate? Who knows?’
“My stomach dropped… I was just getting used to talking to someone, now I have to meet them! By then Covid was in full swing, but he had already planned coffee and a walk in the park. He said, ‘How about we meet at 10:00?’ I remember asking him, ‘Oh, like a day date?’ This was getting serious – I had to put on my big girl pants, fast.”