“Boys dared their friends to ask me out as a joke. Who would actually want to date the disabled girl? There was a voice in my head screaming I was a burden.”
‘Your hands are so small,’ he said. ‘There’s a reason for that.’ I told him everything. He took my atrophied hands in his and never let go.’: Interabled couple shares powerful love story
‘We’re TERRIFIED you’re going to die.’ I didn’t have health insurance.’: Woman battling anorexia details recovery journey
“You feel invincible, and stuff like death only happens to OTHER people. My body can surely cope, the rules don’t apply to me.”
‘My friend said, ‘You’re trying too hard.’ She made fun of me. The digs got old. Every time I put myself out there, she tried to hold me back.’: Woman urges ‘never let someone take away your courage’
“Never let people who limit themselves limit you. Go out and get the life you want, no matter the trials and errors.”
5 Things You Can Do To Support Your Friends Who Are Parenting A Child With Autism
“You’re not alone.”
‘If you never land that dream job. If you never reach that ‘perfect’ weight. You will NEVER waste this life.’: Woman shares powerful reminder ‘life isn’t defined by wins and losses’
“Throw out the scale, forget the degree, and stop comparing your house to the Smith’s down the street. Life isn’t defined by wins and losses, life happens during the play-by-play. And baby, you’ve already won.”
‘Being told you’re lying and faking is a different type of pain. For years, I thought I was the only one.’: Chronic illness warrior ‘proud to be disabled’ after 5-year fight for diagnosis
“Living undiagnosed is a never-ending spiral of suffering, heartbreak, and hurt.”
‘If I close my eyes and listen to this song, all my sadness goes away.’ A stranger decided to send a surprise in the mail.’: Mom details stranger’s act of kindness for daughter with autism
“Words heal little girls with autism, and grown women without, and connect them together from hundreds of miles away.”
‘She was found in an elevator at 4 months old. Her teeth had never been brushed. I was a pile of tears on the floor.’: Special needs family adopts daughter with Down syndrome
“This little girl couldn’t be more than 20 pounds. She was sickly skinny and nonverbal. How could she be 6 years old? What had she been through? She smiled, her tiny teeth caked with thick plaque. I marveled.”
‘Unsubscribing from marketing emails in my inbox clutter, a lightbulb went off. Why can’t we unsubscribe from the mental clutter, too?’: Woman urges ‘you don’t have the space’
“Unsubscribe from the people who judge you. Unsubscribe to the idea you’re being bad if you eat bread with your salad. Unsubscribe from the need to be at a certain place by a certain age. Mental clutter is just as tiresome as the inbox clutter.”
‘I suddenly blurted out, ‘Boys, you know we’re a team, right?’ It’s impossible to know what lies ahead.’: Family shares foster care journey, ‘There’s NOTHING we can’t handle together’
“What if we’re biting off more than we can chew? What if my children resent us for it later? Holding our breath, we wait.”
‘Your dad is gone.’ I didn’t break down or cry. For the first time in months, I felt relieved.’: Woman urges ‘take advantage of time’ after losing father 10 days after cancer diagnosis
“That last night, I said my goodbyes to him for what felt like the tenth time and prayed endlessly for his suffering to be put to rest.”
‘Through tears, she said, ‘Tell her I love her. Tell her I didn’t give her away because I didn’t want her.’: Mom of 5 shares powerful open adoption, ‘We’ll forever be grateful for her sacrificial love’
“They were both crying when we walked in. I knew in that moment, I’d spend the rest of my days championing the courageous story of this woman.”
‘I made the leap. I’d come face-to-face with the reality ‘life is too short.’ It was time to live that cliche.’: Woman urges ‘life is beautiful’ after medical miracle
“With the grace I was given to retain my life and 72% of my mobility, it was time to dive into something my heart yearned to do for years.”
8 Reasons Why I Can Say ‘Thank You, 2020’ And Mean It
“It was one of the most trying times of my life, but I will forever cherish it.”
‘I used to think my success as a mother was measured by my children’s milestones.’: Special needs mom urges ‘accomplishments don’t equal a life well-lived’
“And then I discovered both my kids had autism. I no longer see scored goals or straight As as markers of success.”
‘I didn’t marry a man who sends roses, or picks elaborate gifts. He doesn’t write love songs, or know the perfect things to say and when to say it.’: Woman urges little actions ‘mean so much more’
“I married a man who saves his cereal milk in a cup for our 3-year-old daughter, simply because she loves cereal milk. I married a man who will walk 20 feet in a monsoon to get the car so I don’t get drenched. I married a man who will get up with the kids early on Saturday and Sunday to let me sleep in, even though he is gone for work before the sun comes up.”
‘He WILL have a good brain, so make sure he uses it.’: Man with rare Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva seeks to ‘normalize ALL disabilities’
“’It’s SO important for him to have as normal a life as possible while he physically can.’ I am ALWAYS raising the bar and crushing my goals.”
‘I married my husband, and received the gift of a cheerleader. From day one, she scooped me up and loved me like her own.’: Woman thanks mother-in-law for ‘unconditional love’
“As a young 23-year-old standing on the altar, I had no clue how vital a role my mother-in-law would have in our life. Without fail, she shows up, and showers me with grace and selfless service. I’m pretty sure I hit the jackpot.”
‘You’re too SEXY to be depressed.’: Woman with bipolar disorder urges ‘don’t be afraid to ask for help’
“I became homeless, left my husband, and was incarcerated 3 times. Many people thought I was going to die because of my reckless behavior. I easily could have.”
‘A bear walked over my makeshift den. I saw a man cut off a boar’s head with a knife.’: Veteran backpacks across America to escape PTSD, details amazing journey
“I ran into an old, homeless blind man and decided to buy him a small RV to live in. I was able to experience first-hand what it was like to live as a homeless person. It left me longing to help.”
‘She let an ‘I love you’ slip in the middle of a tickle fight. Her shell broke, and she fell completely head over heels for him.’: Mom shares sweet ode to daughter and her bonus dad
“John is not her second dad. John is HER John. Friend, dad, protector. Stepdad and stepdaughter were never in our vocabulary.”
‘Are single people allowed to foster?’ Something in me clicked. I was so nervous my hands were shaking.’: Foster mom says ‘my heart will be broken, but in the best way’
“I had so much extra love in my heart. As I picked her up, I just knew. My life would never be the same.”
‘Am I having a stroke? My kids aren’t old enough to call for help. God, don’t let me die!’ Something was really wrong.’: Mom diagnosed with MS says ‘my life is still everything I dreamed of’
“I could no longer push my daughter in her stroller. ‘Let’s drive the two blocks to the park.’ I was falling apart. I couldn’t imagine life without legs that didn’t work.”
‘We can bring your Leprechaun trap a day late, okay?’ I see the disappointment in his face, pull over, and ugly cry as the mom guilt sets in.’: Mom shares important reminder ‘we’re doing the best we can’
“I feel bad I worked so much this weekend. I feel bad I work so much all the time. I stay up late cleaning up the day’s mess, and washing too many clothes. When it’s all over, I’m tired. If asked, I could have easily provided a mile long list of what I thought was going to be my final straw. Nowhere on the list would have been a leprechaun trap.”
‘He’s so cold.’ She ripped off the blankets, just watched him breathe. I could see she was scared to tell me.’: Mom shares son’s Angelman Syndrome journey, ‘He constantly defies the odds’
“He was so yellow he looked like an old-school baby doll. He was labeled ‘Failure to Thrive.’ Those three words were a punch in the gut. I felt like I failed my newborn.”