“I felt like I let Mrs. Fisher down. But what felt like devastation soon turned into a new passion, one fueled by an even greater source of love — my son.”
‘Before she died, I promised I’d be the best teacher I could. We had no idea how our life would unfold.’: Teacher turns special needs advocate after birthing son with Down Syndrome
‘What happens to seniors who DON’T have family?’ I HAD to help them.’: Woman starts organization sending letters to seniors, ‘I make people smile’
“I am pretty sure my grandparents were looking down on me that day.”
‘My partner announced, ‘I’m trans.’ It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.’: LGBT couple share beautifully complex love story
“He had a lightbulb moment. ‘I cannot continue to inhabit this female body.’ I would be a lesbian woman part of a heterosexual couple. I had no idea what this meant for us.”
‘I don’t feel like myself.’ I attempted to be the perfect mom. I couldn’t let myself cage.’: Mom bravely shares journey with anxiety and panic disorder, ‘I don’t have to hide anymore’
“My stomach sank in fear. ‘What if something is really wrong?’ The room was spinning. My house became my safe space. What if I never felt like my true self again? I couldn’t stay home forever.”
To My Special Needs Sibling, I Will Never Stop Fighting For You
“People tell me all the time, ‘This must be so hard for you.’ ‘I don’t know how you deal with this.’ I don’t ‘deal’ with it, I love and advocate fiercely.”
‘My boyfriend said, ‘I don’t want to be with a slob.’ I became fitness obsessed. My wardrobe shifted to gym clothes only. If I went to bed hungry, I was a winner.’: Woman shares journey to self-love after eating disorder battle
“I eventually started looking in the mirror and hating myself. Why wasn’t I perfect? Why wasn’t I happy now I had lost more weight? So, I continued to lose it. And lose it. And lose it.”
‘He’ll grow out of it,’ they’d say. I didn’t. I spent YEARS masking myself to fit who I thought I needed to be. I learned to celebrate my differences.’: LGBTQ man waiting for autism diagnosis, ‘I was BORN this way’
“I began to only stim in the privacy of my bedroom or the bathroom and treated it like a dirty secret I’d hopefully grow out of, along with my attraction to boys and all things deemed feminine.“
‘You have MULTIPLE disorders, all at once.’ I’ve been home-bound for 5 YEARS. I didn’t know I had this COURAGE.’: Chronic migraine sufferer shares journey, ‘NEVER stop pushing’
“There will be days when you have to take the pain minute by minute. You’ll dig deep and find a strength you didn’t know was humanly possible.”
As A Woman Dating A Disabled Person, I Am Shocked At The Things People Say
“Jason’s disability is an important part of him, but it’s not the most important thing about him. Disability shouldn’t ever make someone less worthy of finding love.”
‘A tear of pride rolled down his cheek. ‘My son.’ Even if my husband was on the other side of the world, we were together.’: Military wife shares son’s journey with Down syndrome, ‘Focus on the good’
“My husband and I sat silently in the front seat of my car. ‘Your baby has Trisomy 21.’ For a moment, my heart stung. My husband deployed to the Middle East for 6 months. Our adventure continued.”