“My dad started throwing out all my ‘boy clothes’ and told me to leave. He called me weird, nasty, stupid…every name in the book. ‘Where am I going to live? Who is going to love me?’ In a cloud of depression, I was ready to give up on life.”
‘My mom found my diary. She broke down crying, ‘I think we have a gay daughter. Where did I go wrong?’: LGBT woman overcomes childhood trauma to advocate for others
‘Stop begging God to take this away from you. He gave it to you for a purpose.’: LGBT woman pens powerful letter to past self after coming out of closet
“Right now, I know it seems like there’s no escape. That no matter how hard you try, how fast you run, how fiercely you try to claw your way to freedom from yourself, you sink deeper and deeper into the quicksand of shame and self-resentment. Dear Kahrin, you don’t believe this now, but you will be loved.”
‘You can’t pour from an empty cup. You ARE the cup, mama.’: Stay at home mom shares journey balancing work and individuality
“They throw tantrums over the most ridiculous things. They hit you and laugh in your face when you get hurt. But after all that, they come running when they have a boo-boo and want to be kissed goodnight. Stay-at-home-moms get a bad rep, but it’s the HARDEST job I’ve ever had.”
‘I received an email from a stranger. ‘I’ve known about you all your life and looked for you for YEARS.’: Woman reconnects with birth family, creates jewelry brand representing hope
“I mustered up the courage to contact my biological father for the first time. I watched my phone for days and finally got the notification that the letter had been delivered. I was excited but worried about reopening old wounds. The next day, I got an email.”
‘Something’s off with your scans.’ We left in shock. This body wasn’t MINE anymore.’: Stage 4 endometriosis warrior has 2 miracle babies, ‘Kids are like having your heart on the outside of your body’
“People don’t talk about ‘women issues.’ ‘So many people out there have it WORSE.’ You’re labeled as dramatic, and doctors disregard what you’re feeling.”
‘You’ll get over it.’ She patted me on the back and left. I’d never felt so alone in my life.’: Woman shares journey with chronic stress, anxiety, ‘There is hope’
“Oh, my God. I could’ve died!’ I didn’t recognize my mental breakdown until I nearly stepped in front of a speeding bus.”
‘At 30 weeks pregnant, he put down the wand, took me into his office, and began to talk about a recurrence.’: Three-time cancer survivor delivers miracle baby during chemo
“I was sobbing uncontrollably. My husband told them to unhook me and washed my bald head and pregnant belly. It was too much. I was not OK with subjecting my baby to this too.”
Anxiety Can Look Like a Sink Full of Dishes
“Anxiety can look like I’m happy and having a great time, but my brain never stops thinking of what I didn’t accomplish.”
‘This wasn’t your ‘mom-loses-her-crap-sometimes’ situation. I felt like a pressure cooker.’: Mom battles depression, ‘I’m a better mother when I’m my best self’
“There was a miscommunication about bringing my son lunch at school, and as a result, he was upset. I felt awful. The incident was small, but it pushed me over the edge. And I EXPLODED.”
‘There’s one condition.’ I was shocked. I was used to getting overlooked.’: Woman with disability shares man’s surprising act of kindness, ‘It restored my faith in human kindness’
“He just shook his head. ‘Are you sure?’ I asked him. As I was thanking him, he told me to hang on and ran somewhere. This one experience was enough to make my whole week.”
