“I felt my left leg just tighten up. I instantly began crying because I knew this couldn’t be good. My teammates helped me off the court. I needed to prove I was good enough.”

‘I was knocked into the air and heard my knee POP. ‘Oh no, not again.’ All my hard work was wasted.’: Athlete overcomes knee injuries, ‘I’m finding achievement off the field’

‘This has been a hard journey. I know the want to give up. This road isn’t meant to be walked alone.’: Woman pens open letter to chronic illness warriors, ‘I’m fighting beside you’
“You can be in your bed, on a couch, in a hospital room, or a doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter where your life is taking place. There’s a beautiful life waiting for all of us if we choose it.”

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’ll do it, but just this once.’ Famous last words. My body NEEDED them. I HAD to get high every 6 hours.’: Recovering addict shares sobriety journey, ‘All you have to do is SHOW UP’
“If I didn’t get high within an hour, I’d start throwing up. I’d sit in the bathroom for hours trying to hit. My veins were ruined. My probation officer was calling everyone I knew, threatening to send me to prison. I was at an all-time low.”

‘Sometimes people won’t change their minds.’ Why? We just want everyone to be equal.’: Woman activist urges ‘we CAN make a difference’
“This is what it looks like coming up on my sister’s 5-year anniversary of her passing in the middle of a pandemic and cultural warfare. You see friends, this isn’t fun for us. It isn’t fun pointing out privilege and systemic racism when you see it. People hate us when we do it.”

‘You can’t withstand this storm.’ I AM THE STORM. I’m determined, I pushed myself harder than I ever have in my life.’: Woman recovering from COVID-19 and complications details hospital experience, ‘I will always keep fighting’
“March 23rd. I start coughing up blood and it’s hard to breathe. My Apple Watch is saying my resting heart rate is 157. It’s never happened before, so obviously it’s concerning.”

‘If you’re not excited, you’ll be a bad mom.’ Who decided this? What does THEIR life look like behind closed doors?’: Pregnant woman grieves ‘death’ of old self, urges ‘it’s okay to not be excited’
“I will never be the woman I was before the morning of July 4th, when we tried translating a Spanish pregnancy test in the morning light along the Mexican coast.”

‘I was SO proud of my body before kids. Even when I would drop a dress size, I never felt it.’: Mom finds self-worth after struggling with body image, eating disorders, ‘every stretch mark tells a story’
“I was more ‘attractive’ to men. Found it easier to shop for clothes. Being thin actually made me more acceptable in society, it made me seem like I had my life together. I used to feel so validated by being skinny.”

‘The photographer asked, ‘Would you like to retake the photo without the tooth sticking out?’ She replied, ‘Nope, I’m good!’ She doesn’t conform to societal standards.’: Mom admires ‘strong-willed’ daughter after hilarious school photos
“This is the look of a strong-willed girl who knows exactly what she’s doing. Look how proud she is!”

‘You will know heartache, the kind that takes your breath away. You’ll fail by spectacular measures. And your tribe? You’ll find it, and they will be far from what you expected.’: Mom shares words of wisdom for daughters
“Dear Girl, I wish I could tell you all of the answers. Every question mark you have in your heart, every silent vulnerability that you harbor and every fear quieted. But this is what I would tell you if you would only ask.”