“I remember being in a lot of pain and visiting the first aid room at school and being sent away, as it was most likely ‘growing pains.’ I have to accept I can’t get a role as physical as I’d like, but this is part of having a disability, learning what you can and can’t do.”
‘I’m allergic to WATER. People call me a ‘faker.’ I should’ve seen this coming. But I’m so GRATEFUL.’: Woman with EDS, POTS, and aquagenic urticaria says ‘I want to raise awareness’
‘BOTH girls were diagnosed with cancer. They’re only 3. I created a way to celebrate their courageous lives.’: Mom of twin daughters battling cancer creates Etsy shop, ‘It will make us, and others, happy’
“All I want and strive for is happiness. I will fight and our twins will fight. They are my heroes.”
‘I have over 1,000 people living in my body, all with different personalities.’: Person with Dissociative Identity Disorder seeks to educate others
“All of them have different personalities, perspectives, opinions, feelings. Most of the time, things get quite messy and chaotic.”
‘DON’T let it hurt him like it did your brother.’ I can still smell the hospital and hear him cry. My son would be SUCCESSFUL.’: Sister of brother with autism becomes single mom to special needs son
“I had a front-row seat to how the world treated my brother. I knew how cruel the system could be. He was constantly told he could not achieve his goals and desires, but he told the world, ‘Just watch me.’”
‘If he leaves one day, will he remember me?’ I’m not a babysitter or a caregiver. I’m a MOTHER.’: Foster mom reflects on journey, ‘I wouldn’t trade it for anything’
“It was Mother’s Day, and I thought, ‘Do I DESERVE to be celebrated today? Do I count as a mother?’ There is an uncertainty and lack of self-validation that you are, in fact, a mother.”
‘You’re a LIAR. Suck it up!’ I was in the fetal position on the floor, SCREAMING.’: Chronic illness warrior talks health, support system, ‘Keep fighting and listen to your body’
“They saw me lying on the floor and rolled their eyes. They never asked if I was okay. I spent most of my time at work in the bathroom screaming and crying, not knowing what was going on.”
‘Crying was NOT associated with boys. ‘It looks like you’re depressed.’ I had to be ‘man’ of the house.’: Man advocates for mental health, ‘I finally felt SEEN’
“Mom would rush my brother to the doctor. He was visibly ‘sick.’ I couldn’t convince her to bring me to the hospital for just being ‘sad.’ I failed to consider my brain was JUST as real as my brother’s heart.”
‘My small apartment was OVERFLOWING with garments, and my heart and spirit were overflowing with JOY.’: Man starts ‘Knit the Rainbow’ to help LGBTQ youth in need
“A STAGGERING number of youth are left subject to the brutal seasons in NYC. As a Black gay man, I was embarrassed I hadn’t known. THIS was the community I had to help.”
‘Mom, I don’t feel like a boy OR a girl.’ I realized they only knew life as ‘boy’ or ‘girl.’: Mom of non-binary child says ‘they will ALWAYS come first’
“I always thought of myself as an ‘ally,’ but here was a moment, this was my child, my flesh and blood. I knew what I said next mattered more than anything in their world.”
‘I will NEVER treat my kids the way my parents treated me.’ I was dead serious. The cycle would end with me.’: Childhood abuse survivor vows to be a good mom to son with autism
“Parenting a child like my son requires a mother who has patience, unwavering support, and the resiliency to fight through the tough days. Because of my father… I am that mother.”
