“It was around 8 p.m. when I found myself crying and crawling, mostly crying, on my hands and knees in the middle of a Publix parking lot. I imagined the ring traveling the streets of Miami stuck on a tire thread.”
‘I saw something shiny and turned into Sméagol. ‘My precious!’: Wife hilariously recounts lost engagement ring, ‘This ring will come with one heck of a story’
‘She won’t have a normal life.’ I realized things needed to change. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our disabilities.’: Woman details journey with Cerebral Palsy, ‘Love yourself always’
“I couldn’t walk like most kids or use my arms. The doctor tried to scare my parents, ‘She won’t survive.’ My mom was frightened when she heard this. She didn’t know if I would have a future or what would become of me.”
‘I thought you were cute until I found out about your hand.’ This CRUSHED me. I thought I was unlovable because of my hand.’: Woman with limb difference urges, ‘Be kind to others’
“I was known as ‘Chelsea with one finger.’ A little girl started screaming like she’d seen a monster. She pointed straight at my hand and screamed as if it were a feral animal coming at her.”
‘Be careful, your body attracts men.’ At age 11 I was told my figure wasn’t right. It ripped me apart.’: Formal dancer reflects on ‘body positive’ journey, ‘Learn to speak to yourself with love’
“We were told we could only drink water or Diet Coke because ‘you shouldn’t waste calories on fluids.’ At 17, I hated my body. But it was all ‘part of the job.’”
‘Scrolling through Facebook, a photo of my high school friend grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go.’: Woman celebrates mom ‘forging ahead’ during unpredictable pandemic, ‘She represents all of us’
“You see, like so many others, this girl has had a really trying year. A mother of 3, her primary income was cut in half. Just when her world flipped completely upside down, she refused to let it break her.”
‘I thought people had to be pretty to work here.’ I acted like I wasn’t bothered, but I cried the whole night.’: Woman with psoriatic arthritis says she ‘isn’t defined’ by her condition
“It was no bigger than a penny, but I wasn’t really concerned. Then a customer said, ‘What’s on your face?’ My boss asked if I was okay, and I put on a brave face and acted as if I wasn’t bothered. Neither of us could believe what had just happened.”
It Isn’t Shallow To Want To Look Beautiful—Until It Steals Your Joy
“I went to take a sip of water and all of it dropped out of my mouth. I looked in the mirror to find half of my face sagging. Paralyzed. My face just stopped working.”
‘I used to yell. It was the only way to get his attention. One day, I stopped. I simply whispered, ‘I’m leaving. I’m filing for divorce.’ He barely looked up.’: Woman urges ‘find a life loud in love’
“I no longer yell. I no longer need to.”
‘I took comfort in the fact my ugly, clunky ‘frankenboobs’ wouldn’t be with me forever. But, y’all, I am SCARED.’: Cancer fighter prepares for reconstruction surgery, ‘I am MORE than this body’
“I have to face the reality this is the end of the journey. Whatever I wake up to, or whatever I wake up with—that will be my new body. There is no next phase, there is no going back.”
‘I was alone in a dark delivery room. My husband called out, ‘Jill?’ His tone told me to brace myself.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s absolutely perfect’
“I had every negative thought you can think of. ‘Will she be okay? Will our lives revolve around hospital visits now?’ The little girl I envisioned was fading away.”
