“I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’ I’d get home and sleep without being able to do basic things like chores. ‘It’s all in your head!’ My worst fear was looking weak.”
‘There’s ALWAYS something wrong.’ I’d sleep for 14 hours and still be exhausted. My body was clearly trying to tell me something.’: Woman battles chronic illnesses, ‘I changed my perspective’
‘You’re too complicated.’ I was the girl who was always on crutches or in a cast. My doctors were stumped.’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ‘My story isn’t over’
“I was bullied by my classmates. ’You’re just faking.’ I had pneumonia, broke my wrist twice, tore my MCL, sprained my ankle again, and had my appendix taken out—all in 3 years. I just wanted to be normal.”
‘I don’t want this life. I’m not cut out for this!’ I heard ‘I’m sorry’ on the other end. Adrenaline began, my face got hot. Then the tears started to roll.’: Boy with down syndrome diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
“Oliver was on vacation with his dad when I got the call. ‘He stopped walking.’ Weeks pass. His lymph nodes are swollen. Something just wasn’t right. I remember telling my boss, ‘I have to leave!’ Before I could even get a response, I was gone. I’m worried the ER doctor missed something. The doctor is quiet. I can see in her eyes she is trying to stay calm for me, but something is there. I scream. Deep down, she knows something I don’t.”
‘Call 911! Grab the Epi!’ Her lips were blue, she was white as a ghost.’: Mom recalls dramatic moments daughter has allergic reaction to foods, urges ‘she deserves to not feel like a burden’
“There was signs everywhere stating, ‘Nut-Free facility.’ It was truly dreamy, until I watched a little girl approach us while eating a JIF peanut butter bar. I could have died right then. I notified the employee. He told the little girl’s mom, ‘This is a nut free facility.’ The mom did not care. Brynlee began breaking out in hives. Then she started vomiting. ‘If you waited any longer, she wouldn’t have survived.'”
‘We nearly lost him today. I pulled off wrappers, started dishing them out. I gave it to him.’: Mom feels guilt for giving son Popsicle that ignited peanut allergy, ‘We’re just trying to keep our kid alive’
“I stuck them in the freezer. ‘They’re all the same size, don’t argue,’ I told them. I had just kicked off my boots and laid back when I heard a tiny, faint cough. Just one. I was instantly on my feet assessing him. There it was. The tiniest hive. Right in the corner of his precious cheek.”
‘I’m often mistaken for being lazy or spoiled. The dirty looks I get would shock you. I may look like a typical 23-year-old, but I’m not.’: Woman with multiple ‘invisible’ chronic illnesses refuses to let struggles ‘overcome her joy’
“My determination isn’t disabled, my fire isn’t disabled, but my body is. For a long time, this was hard to admit. I do my best to show up every day, but it’s not always enough. I can practically smell the resentment from my coworkers. My boss stopped believing me and asked for a ‘doctor’s note.’ Instead, I ended up hospitalized. ‘Is this good enough?’ I snarkily asked. I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I really can’t help myself. The struggle is REAL.”
‘I walked to the bathroom leaving a trail of blood. I had an ultrasound. They found retained placenta.’: Woman endures difficult pregnancy aftermath, discovers son has a cow’s milk protein allergy
“My son was vomiting and having crazy amounts of diarrhea for days. As I was unpacking his daycare bag, he was standing beside me crying. Next thing I know, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out. I now have a 2-year-old with multiple chronic allergies and an 8-week-old heading in the same direction.”
‘My daughter was fed a cashew. She had itchy ears within 5 minutes, but was still playing. It all changed moments later. They laid her down quickly, and she started blacking out.’
“It snuck up on us so unexpectedly and quietly. I expected to see choking, gasping, hear wheezing, see her grabbing at her chest and neck area. It was actually very silent.”
‘She ate less than a bite of hummus before her 1st birthday and ended up with swollen eyelids and face, hives all over her body, projectile vomiting, and extreme drowsiness.’
“The scariest moments of my life so far have been seeing my baby having this reaction. Knowing this could happen again, and possibly with a worse outcome is terrifying.”
‘I don’t know why your husband’s in pain, he has no meningitis.’ I’ll never forget when the nurse angrily said this to me when I told her my husband said his head feels like it’s on fire.’
“When I got back nurses and doctors were running in his room, yelling ‘code blue!’ I wasn’t allowed in the room – they were intubating him. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. I was sobbing.”
