“I was so angry. I was angry at the doctor who said, ‘You have a Duchenne boy but here’s a great camp we offer. It’s free!’ I was angry at the physical therapists who had worked with my son for years and hadn’t caught on. I was angry I had to wait over a month to be told my seemingly healthy son is terminal.”
‘Well, it looks like you have a Duchenne boy.’ My stomach dropped. The more I read, the more I started to become numb.’: Mom shares journey of son with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy
‘Live your life; life is too short!’ We were scared of the virus. We did everything in our power to keep you safe.’: ICU Nurse pens 2020 open letter to daughter, decorates early to bring ‘Christmas Spirit’
“One day, I’ll tell you about how, despite our fears, we secured our masks, wore our face shields, and fought alongside our patients and coworkers in the ICU and on the floor. There were days the anxiety and stress of fighting a virus we knew little about took the front seat. But we stood together, stood strong, and gave our all.”
‘If I can’t have sex with my partner, I’m not staying with them.’ It hurt to hear this from people who claimed to love me.’: Asexual woman shares journey to self acceptance, ‘We deserve the space to exist without question’
“At the party, someone prompted each of us to go around and share how we identified. ‘Gay, Bi, Lesbian, etc.,’ then it came to me. ‘Asexual.’ ‘Oh, you’re the one who’s asexual!’ another friend said. I exclaimed, ‘Yup!’ From there, I continued down the rabbit hole of what asexuality was.”
‘I collapsed in debilitating pain. My sister found me. The doctor said, ‘You’re fine!’ I cried in my mother’s arms.’: Woman battles Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ‘I found the courage to ask for help’
“I had horrendous pain in my legs, stomach, back, and neck. I started seeing black spots. ‘My body hates me!’ It was a relief to discover who I really am.”
‘If we’re meant to have a baby, God will make it happen.’ My calling wasn’t to carry the title ‘mom.’: Woman reflects on ‘childfree’ life, ‘This is the path we were called to’
“One morning, we got a surprising phone call. Our IVF date had been moved up, cutting out time in half. Saying no wasn’t easy, but I knew it was the right choice.”
‘Just turn the key,’ she said. I was flustered. ‘I don’t know how!’ I forgot how to tie shoes. I struggled seeing a future.’: College student with Acute Flaccid Myelitis now thriving, ‘I’m unlocking my independence’
“I learned how to tie my shoes at age 3, but I forgot how. I learned how to do a ponytail at age 7, but I forgot how. It’s odd seeing someone who can’t even turn a key at such an elite school.”
‘Mama, is our baby sick?’ They stuck a foot-long needle in my stomach. I just wanted it to be over.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘All we see is light and beauty’
“I announced, ‘I’m about to vomit.’ Then I was no longer talking because I had blacked out. ‘Patient is crashing and baby is unstable.’ They flipped me onto all fours. I couldn’t feel my body from the waist down.”
‘Ew, what are those?’ I was ashamed of myself. I constantly tried to hide my scars. What was I doing wrong?’: Woman shares struggles with keloid scars, ‘They’re my beauty marks’
“Right after brushing my teeth, I put on a bunch of toothpaste all over my face, chest, and back. I was a minty mess. I hid in high cut shirts and makeup. Anxiety became my best friend.”
‘Turn that light on and off 50 times so no one in your family dies.’ I’d freak out. I was fighting an internal battle every day.’: Mental health advocate details life with OCD, says ‘be kind to yourself’
“I’d have to wash my hands at least six times or I started believing somebody was going to die. I’d sit in my room and cry for hours. I felt watched and trapped in this space. At some point, I felt anxious even leaving my house.”
‘Can I go camping with my friend?’ Where did this fear come from? Mother Bear instincts? I HAVE to give her the chance to spread her wings.’: Mom details struggles with anxiety, ‘The fear never truly goes away’
“I see a narrow spot on the road and suddenly I see myself losing control and our vehicle rolling over and over. I wonder if we would survive or if I would have to live with causing an accident that took my children’s lives. It keeps me up at night, makes me a wreck all day.”
‘I heard her voice and knew our lives would change forever. ‘Nic, you need someone to drive you to the hospital.’ I looked at my daughter and saw her eyes well with fear. ‘Momma, what happened to Daddy?’: Mom recounts near-loss of husband, stresses importance of ‘telling kids the truth’
“He said, ‘Ma’am, we have an unidentified man with head trauma coming in, I’m sure it is your husband.’ At that moment, I was escorted by a solemn social worker to a small, littered room. A room meant to allow family members to react to what they would tell me in private. I went downstairs to hold our daughter when she woke up. I told her in an age-appropriate manner what had happened to Daddy, and what our next step would be. She held me and calmly said, ‘I know Daddy will be okay.’ Your kids DESERVE the TRUTH.”
‘Curvy women welcome, but ONLY if the curves are in the bust or butt.’ I would wear t-shirts over bathing suits out of fear someone would see my stomach and die of disgust on the spot.’: Mother advocates for body positivity, ‘You are perfectly imperfect’
“I didn’t even let my now-husband look at my stomach for a YEAR. I closed my eyes and waited to hear his groan in disgust. I felt his big hand rub across my stomach.”
‘We made eye contact and I immediately knew something was wrong. ‘Let me get the doctor.’ The doctor said six words no parent EVER wants to hear.’: Mom grievously recounts miscarriage, ‘We find comfort in knowing she’s with Jesus’
“‘I’m sorry, but there’s no heartbeat.’ She told me I had to deliver her, but I didn’t want to. I thought if I could keep her inside of me, if I could just keep carrying her, then maybe she’d be okay. Part of me thought they got it wrong, she’d come out crying. But she didn’t.”
‘All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe. ‘I’m going to die.’ I lay on the bedroom floor, tear streaming down my face.’: Woman shares journey with PTSD and anxiety, ‘I know my worth’
“I had anxiety attacks for years. I buried everything. It made the pain worse and the healing more intense. I’ve realized I can be both happy and sad, loved and lonely, hurting and healing, all at the same time.”
‘I want to be normal.’ People around me were always talking. I felt so lonely in my own world. I struggled to accept my deafness.’: Woman becomes hearing loss advocate, ‘I can do anything’
“I saw an ad about a deaf dog in a shelter and decided I MUST meet him! He captured my heart. I knew he was going home with me. I felt this special bond when I met him. I could feel the way he experienced the world.”
‘How did I get here?’ I kneeled over the toilet, heart racing. Suddenly, I heard God speaking, ‘Don’t do this, Rachel.’: Woman shares eating disorder recovery journey, ‘I had to break free’
“Could I escape from this prison of disordered eating, self-hatred, and destructive pursuit of weight loss? Would I ever find love? My knees ached as I shakily got up off the cold tile floor. I couldn’t keep living like this.”
‘She talks to him, even though she knows he can’t talk back.’: Mom shares ‘heart-melting’ friendship between non-verbal, autistic son and classmate
“She could bully him, pick on him because he is different. Instead, she doesn’t try to change him. She sits with him, holds his hand, and likes him just the way he is. This is not your typical love story.”
‘Sometimes people won’t change their minds.’ Why? We just want everyone to be equal.’: Woman activist urges ‘we CAN make a difference’
“This is what it looks like coming up on my sister’s 5-year anniversary of her passing in the middle of a pandemic and cultural warfare. You see friends, this isn’t fun for us. It isn’t fun pointing out privilege and systemic racism when you see it. People hate us when we do it.”
‘Is something wrong?’ my wife asked. ‘We need to talk.’ I told myself I’d stop thinking about being gay if I had a kid.’: Gay dad comes out of the closet, ‘I regret not doing it sooner’
“‘You’re gay, you’re gay.” My thoughts were constant. But I needed to start a family. I told myself I’d stop thinking about being gay if I had a kid.”
‘You’ll never be able to write or even wear a ring.’ I’d pull my sleeves over my hands. I wanted to be ‘normal.’: Limb difference advocate shares her journey, ‘Celebrate your differences’
“I was convinced I’d be judged based on my hands and feet. I made every effort to conceal my hands. I’d wear a cardigan to hide my scars. I wanted as little attention drawn to me as possible.”
‘Drop everything and get to the hospital.’ The doctors were baffled. They couldn’t believe I was still standing.’: Woman diagnosed with Addison’s disease, ‘I’m alive by chance’
“Walking up the stairs was nearly impossible. I was always on the sofa, wishing the day away. My life completely changed overnight. In less than 24 hours, I went from dying to being more alive than I ever have.”
‘All the progress he made is gone. We’re back to square one.’: Mom to son with nonverbal autism discusses impact of COVID-19
“6 years of coaching, teaching, and planning went down the drain. When the world goes back to normal, we get to start all over again.”
‘He’s been born, and YOU were chosen!’ Only 4 pounds, I was scared to even TOUCH him.’: Couple adopt baby with Down syndrome after scare, ‘We were meant for this’
“We were told, ‘You’re crazy.’ In an instant, I knew we had to pursue him. I didn’t know joy and sorrow could coexist.”
‘You’re so deaf sometimes!’ My eyes started watering. I felt so alone and worthless. I decided to keep my deafness a secret.’: Woman advocates for deaf awareness, ‘I’m proud of myself’
“I was the quiet, deaf girl with no confidence. ‘Why is everyone looking at me?’ The closer we got to school, the tighter I grabbed my hair so my hearing aids wouldn’t be seen.”
‘Everything went black. ‘Did I pass out?’ I woke up with no memory. They had no idea what was happening to me.’: Woman describes struggles with Lyme Disease, ‘Every day is a gift’
“The stairs became my ‘Mount Everest.’ I lost consciousness 18 times. I woke up in the ER with an IV in my hand. The doctors found nothing wrong with me. We were grasping at straws.”