“I lost over 20 pounds and had severe pain. I was admitted to the hospital. ‘Why is this happening to me? I should be out with friends, not in pain.’ I only got worse.”
‘Your options are running low.’ I was losing blood. My body was disintegrating. ‘But I’m so young!’: Teen raises awareness for Ulcerative Colitis and stomas, ‘I turned it into a positive’
‘My son grabs my hand and cheers, ‘I had a good day!’ I look back at his teacher and I can tell, behind her mask, she is smiling too.’: Pandemic mom says ‘we had to choose between two wrongs’
“I can tell, behind her mask, she is smiling too. And I think, just for a moment, I made the right choice.”
‘The doctor said, ‘She won’t turn 18. I recommend having another baby.’ My muscles betrayed me.’: Woman details journey with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, ‘Find your inner strength’
“My braces grew taller, and eventually reached my thighs. I still recall each time I got a new pair and had to ‘break them in.’ I’d pace our living room till the sweat dripped and tears rolled. With each shaky step, I’d chant, ‘I want, I can.’”
‘We don’t know what’s going on.’ Fear took over my body. ‘But I barely know him yet!’ No one could pinpoint what it was.’: Woman births baby with genetic mutation, ‘He was the purest soul’
“Our 4-month-old son was having seizures. To say we were scared is an understatement. We followed him in an ambulance. All we had now was hope.”
‘All humans have 10 fingers.’ Everyone turned to stare at me. ‘Well I guess not EVERYONE.’: Teenager raises awareness about limb differences, ‘Difference is beautiful’
“No one I knew looked like me. I remember searching up different variations of ‘three-fingered hand’ to see if I could find someone else out there. It never worked.”
‘The car skidded. I tried to run, escape. A whirlwind took us up and when it stopped, my torment started.’: Accident survivor bikes 100 miles, ‘Life can be beautiful, even on wheels’
“‘Mom, what happened to you?’ I didn’t know what to say. I was a vegetable, changed by people whose language I didn’t speak.”
‘My ex remarried and had 3 kids. Believe it or not, we all went to Disney World together. God and Zoloft kept me going.’: Woman shares co-parenting journey, ‘We’re all on board!’
“It had been ‘coming’ in a sense for a couple of years. I was pregnant with our second child when it all went down. We had to put all emotions aside.”
‘If I don’t survive this, I want you to know I lived more in my 36 years than most do in 80.’ It was time to let go.’: Woman shares love story after losing husband to pancreatic cancer
“He complained about stomach pains for 8 months. I remember sitting on our bathroom floor. He was so sick he could barely get up. ‘We feel he should stop treatment.’ On the way home, I asked Kyle what he wanted to do. Second opinion? Alternative medicine? He looked at me and said, ‘I’m tired.’ That was when I knew it was time to stop. It was time to let go.”
‘I felt my elbows tingle and collapsed. Even my organs were paralyzed. I had to push the call button with my neck.’: Stroke survivor creates inclusive dance company
“I collapsed and found myself unable to move my arms and legs. The nurse had to carry me to the bathroom. I was in shock. It felt like a door had been slammed in my face.”
‘I would point women out, ‘Am I skinnier or fatter than her?’ Then I heard my daughter saying similar things. It was sick.’: Mom ‘changes the narrative’ for daughter after wake-up call
“I cursed new and old stretch marks. ‘Only women who are a size 2 can truly be successful.’ My body image dictated how I spoke to myself, even while my daughter was listening.”