“An able-bodied person sent me a DM and told me to ‘do my research.’”
‘Disabled is INCORRECT. Do a better job.’ My daughter CHOSE this word.’: Mom to disabled daughter says ‘I will continue to raise her voice’
The Chronically Ill Patient: 5 Ways To Advocate For Yourself
“You deserve to be heard, at the bare MINIMUM.”
‘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.”
‘The teacher called home. ‘Vanessa is not paying attention in class.’ I failed every hearing test. ‘What are you saying?!’ I started to think I just wasn’t smart.’: Woman with severe hearing loss receives eye-opening diagnosis after 33 years
“We took my daughter for a routine hearing test. I impatiently asked my husband, ‘What’s taking them so long to start the test?’ His eyes widened. ‘Vanessa, are you kidding me? We’re half way through!’ I couldn’t hear a thing.”
‘We were two women, thrust into the positions of caregiver and lover. The trajectory of our lives forever changed.’: Partners of quadriplegic men pioneer global support community for others
“They were more than their new wheelchairs. They were the guys we fell in love with. We lost our home, careers, and the life we once knew. There was nothing available online, no resources for women like us. Then, we found each other.”
‘Open your eyes. Be my mommy again,’ I wailed. Was it possible to lose both parents on the same day?’: Woman shares journey after losing parents to brain cancer, ‘We are not guaranteed time’
“I tucked her rosary into her hands as I played her favorite song, leaned over, and kissed her forehead. And with that, she was gone. With the same quiet softness with which she cradled me in her arms as a babe and whispered me a lullaby, she slipped out of this world and onto the next, where my dad was waiting to greet her.”
‘I WILL find you again.’ My heart was turned upside down by a 3-year-old.’: Woman becomes life-long orphan advocate, ‘There are so many ways to be family’
“‘I know my odds aren’t great to find a family.’ The children were simply numbers. But he held out hope. We both did.”
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.”
‘He is SO loved already.’ No matter what, we were having this baby. The news did not change anything.’: Mom has baby with CHARGE Syndrome, ‘I find such joy in our life’
“While I sometimes long to feel the naivety I felt before that day, I know I am exactly the person I am meant to be right now. I’ve gained confidence and a voice I didn’t know I had. I will ALWAYS fight for him.”
‘If I can’t have sex with my partner, I’m not staying with them.’ It hurt to hear these things 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.”
