“We got the most life-altering news. Our baby’s left arm curved in and her right leg was underdeveloped. Her thumb was missing all of its bones. She’s literally the only person in the world like her.”
‘She looks different. So what? Who doesn’t?’: Mom to daughter with rare conditions urges ‘being different IS normal’
‘You look so thin!’ The first trimester, I threw up anything I dared put in my mouth. I lost 25 pounds.’: Woman recounts ‘emotional’ journey to body positivity
“Honestly, I liked it. I liked that I was 4 months pregnant and you couldn’t even tell. I tried to breastfeed my daughter but my body was weak and malnourished.”
‘She just happened to be available after a match fell through. It was meant to be.’: Same-sex couple welcome twins via surrogate
“Due to COVID, we were only allowed to join through a Zoom call. We sat in the parking lot and watched the doctor take two small dots and implant them into the surrogate. That faint blue line instantly changed everything.”
‘A police officer was on the other end of the phone. ‘He didn’t have enough time to stop.’ They told me to take him off the ventilator.’: Woman becomes caretaker to husband after accident
“His body lay lifeless in the small bed. Monitors beeping, tubes coming out of every direction, ventilator helping him breathe. My husband of 7 years was in a critical condition, fighting for his life right before my eyes.”
‘I woke up with a tube down my throat. I couldn’t talk. On a piece of paper, I wrote, ‘I want my mom.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘faith can do wonders’
“Halfway through my 12-hour shift, I began to feel very sick. ‘You need to sit down.’ I had a fever and my oxygen level was low. The next few weeks were a blur.”
‘I looked and felt like Wonder Woman. Then, I had two children.’: Former Olympian recounts journey with postpartum depression, body positivity
“Where did it all go WRONG?’ My body wasn’t my own and I was apathetic towards my amazing life.”
‘As if starting high school isn’t stressful enough, I had a condition which could KILL me.’: Woman details journey with Long QT syndrome, anxiety, depression
“Here I was with a life many people only DREAM of, yet I was feeling hopeless and numb.”
‘After six long months grieving the end of my 8-year relationship, I walked into a hotel bar. ‘Can I sit with you while I wait for a friend?’: Woman shares ‘whirlwind’ love story
“I walked in, independent and confident, scanning the tables, wondering who would be interesting to talk with. As my rational mind kicked in, I said to myself, ‘What are you doing here? Who goes to a bar alone?’ About to walk out, I noticed a table with three people. One small choice would change the course of my existence.”
‘I loved you before them. But with them between us now, I love you even more. As a dad, your light shines even brighter.’: Mom shares ode to father of her children
“You have seen me at my worst, my weakest, my most challenging of moments and tiredness of years. Of pregnancies, of births, of postpartum. Yet you hold my hand even tighter.”
‘At 6 years old, I cried alone in a dressing room. ‘Why don’t they have bigger sizes?’: Woman recounts her journey to self-love
“I was the fat girl who hated herself. I’d wear hoodies with my sleeves pulled up in the scorching summers. I thought it was better to pass out from the heat than have someone see my ‘repulsive’ body.”