“I didn’t want to seem like I was crazy. Believe me, I hate my autism as much as you do, but it is also a part of me.”
‘Yes, I am autistic, and no, I am not a r*tard.’: Proud mom shares autistic daughter’s inspirational poem, ‘I am NOT hiding, I am proud.’
‘A car of teenage boys drove past and yelled out, ‘Ugly!’ I was embarrassed and felt HIDEOUS.’: Young woman battles alopecia, ‘I’ve become a glass half-full kind of girl’
“I hadn’t anticipated being SO upset by the sound of the hair being cut. I couldn’t be strong anymore. I really, really cried.”
‘I feel bad for your husband, you’ve gained SO much weight!’: Mom of 5 urges ‘weight does not reflect worth’
“Last week after posting a photo of our family, I started receiving comments centered around my ‘baby weight,’ how much I’ve gained or how quickly I’ve gained it. I’m not going to lie, I noticed.”
‘If I can’t have you…nobody will.’ I’d hear breathing on end of random calls. I was being watched, followed, tormented.’: Teen dating abuse survivor shares ‘warning signs’
“We scheduled a secret meeting in the woods. We slid down the hill and walked farther and farther away from carnival rides, screams, laughs, and funnel cake air. Phone in my hand, I looked down in an outer body experience to realize ‘911’ had been punched in. This was my turning point. I was terrified of the boy I loved.”
‘You sure you want to eat that? You’d be so pretty if you lost weight.’ I watched girls develop cute figures, get boobs and boyfriends, while I hid behind baggy clothes.’: Binge eating disorder warrior details emotional 140-pound weight loss journey
“I wanted so badly to fit in that when a boy I liked asked me out I was so excited I didn’t even think about it and said yes! But my excitement was short lived, only to find out he was dared to do it and said he’d never go out with a ‘lard a–‘ like me. In 2019, I was tired of not enjoying my life. I wanted to get healthy, for ME.”
‘My legs suddenly went numb. I clutched the wall in horror, like a child at an ice-skating rink. What was happening to me?’: Woman opens up about anxiety journey
“Everyone else seemed so carefree. I was riddled with worry and didn’t want anybody looking at me. I didn’t want to be the center of attention at my own WEDDING.”
‘He was sent to the principal’s office the first day of kindergarten. He was branded the troublemaker. The attention seeker. The bad child.’: Dad to bullying survivor with autism urges ‘teach your kids compassion’
“No one sat with him at lunch time. Kids laughed when he stimmed or made mistakes. He was kept in during recess to ‘think about his behavior.’ My wife and I couldn’t reconcile this with the child we knew. At home, he was calm and followed directions; at school, he became disruptive.”
The Day I Was Diagnosed As Autistic Was The Day I Became ‘Normal’
“’You know, he is very ADHD.’ What I found blew open my world. I saw my son, but more so, I saw myself.”
‘What are you going to DO about it?’ mom asked. I wasn’t popular. But I DID know how kindness could look.’: Young woman creates ‘Let’s Be Kind Day’ for community
“I decided to have an event where we could all focus on one thing we have in common: the ability to be kind.”
‘I’m living proof things can and do get better.’: Woman returns to place of suicide attempt with notes of hope for others
“I was very nearly just another statistic.”
