“When I went off to college, I expected my life to get so much better. I had high hopes of finally feeling whole again. But I spent my time there battling severe suicidal ideations, and I stopped eating and sleeping almost completely. My whole family watched me throw away my dream.”
‘It’s all in your head. Just get over it.’ I tried to end my own life and no one knew. I had lost everything, including myself.’: Woman overcomes mental illness, encourages others ‘never stop fighting’
‘I’m a bad mom.’ I got married when my daughter was 2 and I don’t remember it. There’s so much shame.’: Recovering alcoholic describes journey, ‘I want to set an example for my daughter’
“I’d delete pictures so there was no evidence. In tenth grade, I was kicked out of a private school. ‘I have bad days, I am HUMAN!'”
‘There’s nothing we can do.’ I felt my hopes and dreams slip away. My life was falling apart and nobody could tell me why.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ‘I’ll never stop fighting’
“My body’s injustice and betrayal would send me fleeing to a quiet place where I wouldn’t be discovered by my kids. I’d hide in my closet, trying my hardest to muffle my crying. As the tears fell from my cheeks and were washed away, I’d wish they were carrying the sickness out of me.”
I Didn’t Know I Was Autistic Until Age 25, And It Was Terrifying
“After spending my entire life reassuring myself I’m not crazy, I hid my secret from everyone.”
‘As I ran from my sleeping kids to snuggle beneath the covers and finally relax, it hit me. The dang chicken!’: Woman’s viral post about ‘mom brain’ is so relatable
“As I lumbered to the kitchen, it hit me. The wet laundry. The check I forgot to write for preschool. The pee-soaked clothes from the accident still in the bathroom sink. I needed a break, and I knew it. But, in the back of my mind, it was all there. Sitting. Waiting. Exhausting.”
‘I’m FINE!’ I heard my son call out. Something very wrong was happening. It was an out-of-body experience.’: Mom of 2 battles PPD, becomes advocate, ‘Motherhood shouldn’t be so hard’
“’I have 2 children under the age of 2. It’s not going to be easy.’ Up with the sun came an abrupt halt and the idyllic mom vanished.”
‘Christmas isn’t going to be the same this year. But through everything, kindness hasn’t been canceled.’: Mom creates ‘12 Days of Christmas Kindness’ to give back, ‘We all need more love this year’
“We played ‘ding dong ditch’ on our neighbors, leaving hot chocolate bombs in our place. We bought extra groceries to donate, shared cookies with strangers, and left an extra-large tip at dinner. If we can be anything in 2020, let’s be kind.”
‘You need to wait it out.’ I thought accepting my illness meant I was giving up. It wasn’t really living. I was simply existing.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘romanticizing my life set me free’
“I’d leave in the middle of class to throw up in the bathroom. I’d lay on the floor during lectures just so I wouldn’t pass out. I woke up choking on my own saliva. It was the hardest time of my life.”
‘For the record, I would’ve picked you.’ I was smiling so hard my face hurt. Time hasn’t slowed down since.’: Couple finds love during lockdown, ‘When you find your person, you just know’
“On a zoom meeting, there was a girl who caught my eye. She had the kindest eyes. I had no idea I was falling in love. ‘If you could date anyone here, who would it be?’ She stalled.”
‘Do I have siblings? Do they think about me or miss me?’ It feels like a part of me is missing.’: Transracial adoptee searches for biological family, ‘I’m embracing my roots’
“I always said I didn’t want to find my biological parents. ‘Why should I try? I have a good life. I have friends, a job, people I love. What if I lose everything?’ I realized I had to accept myself.”
‘A feeling came over me. ‘You’ll be the one to do this.’ My new purpose was to give my dad what he gave me—life.’: Man donates kidney to dad during pandemic, ‘Family is everything’
“My mom told us, ‘Dad needs help.’ There was a sense of urgency. I took the first steps to donate my kidney. The tests showed we were a match. Then I started feeling a slight tickle in my throat.”
‘You’re just having growing pains.’ I’d dislocate my knee twice a week. My joints felt like they were being ripped apart.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome after 17 years
“My doctor looked me in the eyes, ’You’re not crazy. The pain you feel is real.’ It took everything in me not to cry. For the first time in 17 years, a doctor finally believed me.”
‘You’re young, you have plenty of time to try again.’ I knew I never wanted to be pregnant again. ‘Mommy, when am I going to have a baby sister to play with?’: Young couple adopt after miscarriages, ‘We were meant to find him’
“My husband and I were at a family wedding outside of our local town. I remember going to the toilet with my sister-in-law and seeing blood. ‘This is it, Molly, you can do this because you’ve been preparing to lose her for the last 9 months.’ My husband said to me, ‘I won’t make you go through that again.”
‘I HAD to find something! You need a stocking for Santa!’ I wiped my tears in fear of freaking him out.’: Gay man shares touching Christmas story with husband, ‘It was the beginning of our lives’
“It took years to recover. We packed my car and put all of the gifts in the back. ‘ What if my family was rude to him?’ To this day, it is so vivid.”
‘That’s the best kind of cancer to have.’ I wasn’t worthy of calling myself a cancer survivor. I felt myself shrinking.’: Woman raises awareness for Melanoma, ‘My journey is valid’
“A vegan blamed me for having cancer because I eat meat. Someone told me, ‘Anyone who wears sunscreen deserves to get cancer.’ People will say YOU are the cause of your own cancer.”
‘I hate to tell you this, but there’s a MAJOR problem.’ Darkness. Shock. The whole room disappeared around me.’: Couple has baby with anencephaly, ‘He’s impacted so many lives’’
“Each week we grew more hopeful our boy would live long enough to come home. The moment he was placed in my arms was the truest love I’ve ever felt.”
‘I hope you aren’t stuck-up when you’re slimmer.’ It struck me. I’m a kind person because I’m a kind person, not because I’m fat.’: Woman details body positivity journey, ‘You are worthy’
“When I was 8, my mom bought me a new skirt. It was too small in my waist. For the rest of the day, I walked laps on our front lawn. ‘I can walk the weight away.’ I felt immense guilt about myself and my body.”
‘I was scared to stand. I presented my poem on my knees. ‘You’ve inspired us all!’ I never let my disability stop me.’: Young man shares journey with heart condition, ‘I keep pushing through’
“The bus driver accidentally dropped me and broke my leg. After that fall, I was really scared. I didn’t let it stop me. I knew Allah wouldn’t abandon me.”
‘Something happened,’ I sobbed. ‘We had a fight and she called the police. I’m going to the hospital.’ I was convinced my boyfriend would break up with me on the spot.’: Woman with Bipolar Disorder details eye-opening journey to acceptance
“I was so afraid of being ‘crazy’ I couldn’t admit I needed help when I was literally in the hospital for psych evaluation. Today, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been in my life. But it came at a price. I lost my best friend. My soul sister. I live every day in fear of the monster who lives within me.”
‘In my left hand, I held a gun. In the other was a beer. My first Christmas as a single mom without my kids was soul-wrenching.’: Woman shares grief journey, ‘Life is messy and beautiful’
“I walked up to the cashier with a plunger and a six-pack of beer. ‘Merry Christmas!’ she beamed. I’m not sure I even said anything, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see I wasn’t feeling the spirit. This wasn’t how I intended to spend Christmas Day.”
‘You need to tie your hair up.’ I ran home in tears. My hair was my shield. Without it, I felt lost and defenseless.’: Woman with hearing loss becomes advocate, ‘I no longer want to hide’
“I deliberately chose brown hearing aids to match my hair. ‘I want them to be invisible to everyone.’ I made sure my hair was always covering my ears. This became the perfect disguise.”
‘I have to report you to CPS.’ I was hysterical. All I could think of were police coming to rip my son away. I knew I needed help.’: Single mom shares sobriety journey, ‘You’re not your past’
“Both my grandparents died within 9 months. I showed up to both funerals buzzed. I felt so abandoned by everyone that alcohol became my best friend. It was there for me when I was sad, anxious, even happy. Alcohol was the answer to my problems.”
‘The moment she was in my arms, I whispered, ‘I’m your mommy.’ We were CALLED to this. She’s the star of our story.’: Family adopts baby with Down syndrome, ‘Worth isn’t defined by chromosomes’
“She stared into my eyes as I stroked her hair, telling her she was beautiful. It was over 8 months until we saw our baby girl again. 8 excruciating months, separated by a pandemic, on opposite sides of the world. It was GUT-WRENCHING.”
‘The funeral paper you read? It’s about your mom.’ This is how I found out at age 9. No one asked me how I felt.’: Daughter pens letter to late mom lost to cancer, ‘We heal by lifting others’
“I learned of mom’s death by coincidence after reading her name on a funeral paper. I asked several times, ‘Is it true?’ I wasn’t allowed to express my feelings.”
‘But my daughter needs me!’ I clung to walls and couldn’t focus my vision. ‘Something is VERY wrong.’: Brain cancer survivor discovers purpose, ‘I was fueled by my daughter’s love’’
“The doctor called .’You need to get treated immediately.’ My daughter was only 9. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was in trouble.”