“I was found cowering, fetal position, in the space between the washer and dryer. My legs, once strong from years of softball, no longer supported my own weight.”
‘Instead of planning our wedding, my fiancé was called to the ICU at 4 a.m.’: Young woman loses father, fights Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
‘He confirmed I was disgusting and worthless. He instilled in my mind there was better out there.’: Woman battles Ulcerative Colitis, finds love after infidelity
“Just last week I was celebrating my birthday and now I’m in the ER with the unknown happening.”
‘Mommy, am I going to get so sick that I die?’: Mom of Cystic Fibrosis warrior waits for a cure, ‘He takes it all in stride’
“What I wouldn’t give for his biggest worry in life to be a grazed knee or his sandwich cut the wrong way. He is my light and my strength.”
‘But you’re too young to have it.’ My body aged from 26 to 83. I could barely walk a mile.’: Woman shares grief of psoriatic arthritis diagnosis
‘My diagnosis flipped my world upside-down. None of my friends could relate to what I was going through. I felt stuck in my body.”
‘But you don’t LOOK disabled.’: Woman urges ‘disability is not a bad word’
“A patient fought through pain to avoid people looking at her for using the equipment she actually NEEDS.”
‘The doctor punctured BOTH OF MY NEW LUNGS! I ended up back in the ICU, fighting for my life.’: Cystic fibrosis warrior undergoes double lung transplant
“I got a first chance at life.”
‘My mom wiped my tears. ‘We won’t stop until we have answers. I promise.’: Endometriosis warrior shares 8-year diagnosis journey
“I haven’t been pain-free since December of 2013. Since then, I’ve gotten sicker and sicker. Being doubled over in pain is my everyday life.”
‘Just eat.’ I lost over 20 pounds and was given a feeding tube. I was in agony.’: MALS warrior shares journey, ‘There’s always hope for a better tomorrow’
“Being curled in a ball every time I ate left me exhausted. I could no longer hide my illness.”
‘I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it.’ It was akin to a freak accident.’: Crohn’s survivor undergoes serious illness, ‘I will always fight to be here’
“I told myself, ‘You are BUILT for this.’ My body was going to heal. I’d been through so much I’d be d*mned if THIS is what took me out.”
‘The night before surgery, Granny and Pap came in a dream: ‘Honey, we’re waiting for you.’ I was terrified.’: Chronic illness warrior survives health complications, adopts 2 pre-teens
“We wanted to adopt siblings from the beginning. After many disappointments, I applied for two brothers I saw in a flyer. Months later, while shopping with my mom in Meijer, my caseworker called. ‘Would you like to learn more?’ I had two options: recover or die.”
