“I went manic and blacked out. I can still feel my dad holding me as tight as possible. I was tucked away in the back of trauma triage, a thick bandage wrapped around my wounds. I finally surrendered and the healing started.”
‘Something special was taken away from me.’ My entire world was flipped upside down. I felt like I’d been failed.’: Woman shares mental health journey, ‘Surrendering is the strongest thing I’ve done’
‘She won’t live. It’s VERY severe.’ Tumors were everywhere. Only 70 people in the WORLD have what I have.’: Woman with Juvenile Hyaline Fibromatosis shares journey, ‘Teach your kids not to fear differences’
“Kids spread rumors, saying ‘You smell bad!’ They told others not to talk to me. My teacher said, ‘You’ll never graduate anyway. What’s the point?’”
‘Have you lost your MIND?’ The thought of her lying alone was too much. There’s NO WAY we could take on 4 fragile kids.’: Couple pursues special needs adoptions, ‘We’d do it all again’
“People ask, ‘Why do you want a child who’s so sick?’ I don’t see their feeding tubes or medicines. I see THEM, and I love THEM. We went from being a boring couple to having 4 kids. We would learn ANYTHING for them.”
‘You need to go to the ER immediately.’ I felt like my body was failing me. I continued to hide my condition until I almost DIED.’: Ballerina with diabetes shares acceptance journey, ‘Keep fighting’
“I was training hard and eating healthy, but still gaining weight. My instructor told my mom I was ‘fat.’ Something in my body was wrong. A few months later, I’d be in the ICU fighting for my life.”
‘A baby was born yesterday. He may have been exposed to meth.’ There was no doubt in our minds. We turned around and ran to our baby.’: Couple shares adoption journey, ‘We’re meant to be’
“Our family thought we were CRAZY.’ ’You should NEVER adopt. You never know what those kids come with.’ We already had two kids with special needs, but we knew God would provide for us. It was love at first sight.”
‘I feel like a prisoner in my own body.’ I let the anxiety take over my life. I just KNEW it would end up killing me.’: Mom battles POTS and anxiety, ‘I’m not giving up anytime soon’
“I convinced myself I was dying. I worked myself into a panic attack. ’Why is this happening to me?’ It was brutal. I didn’t know how I was going to make it, but I knew I had to do it for my baby.”
‘You’re not going to be pretty anymore, Mommy! Eww, don’t do it!’ Their response stung my heart. I knew I had to shave my head.’: Couple encourage others to ‘say yes to challenges’
“As a woman, I always felt my hair made me feel pretty. I was afraid to completely shave my head. But then I shared my idea with my daughters. ‘You’ll look like a boy!’ I refuse to raise our girls to think hair is what will make them beautiful.”
‘You guys are no good.’ I fell pregnant at 15. The world was against us and things got worse.’: Teen mom shares beautiful relationship, ‘We are stronger together’
“I had to borrow medicine off the shelves when my son was sick because we couldn’t afford it. We were doing everything we could to get by. It never seemed like enough.”
‘You are too old and foolish to think this boy loves YOU.’ The nurses kept a close eye on us.’: Gay couple marries, has child, ‘’We’ve shattered the idea conventional wisdom is always correct’
“I wasn’t an old troll looking for boys to feed my fancy, and he wasn’t out looking for a rich old man.”
‘Have you ever considered the label of deaf?’ I was riddled with anxiety. For the first time, I wasn’t the odd one out.’: Woman advocates for hearing loss, ‘Someday, we won’t need to fight’
“I was too ashamed of my differences to accept my hearing aids. I hid them behind my hair and tried my best to fit in. When I couldn’t, I’d ‘forget’ them at home. I didn’t want to be ‘hearing impaired.’ I wanted to be normal.”