“I was the wrong passenger, in the wrong car, at the wrong time. After years of hard work to be physically and financially independent, I moved back into my childhood bedroom with my parents at age 24. Friends excused themselves from my life without a word. I stopped being invited places or asked on dates; I began to feel everyone saw me as a burden.”
‘Overnight, I went from a happy, active, able-bodied person to paralyzed from the waist down.’: Woman disabled in car accident candidly shares journey to self-acceptance
‘Instead of planning our wedding, my fiancé was called to the ICU at 4 a.m.’: Young woman loses father, fights Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
“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.”
‘She’s just a stressed millennial and needs to take Valium.’: Woman survives brain hemorrhage, becomes stand-up comedian
“I was 22 when my head exploded on a Tinder date.”
‘My doctor wrote off my symptoms as ‘being pregnant.’ I felt them cut me open.’: New mom urges awareness of PPCM
“They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but it was different for me. I wasn’t scared.”
‘You need to go to the ER immediately.’ I felt like my body was failing me. I continued to hide my condition until I almost DIED.’: Ballerina with diabetes shares acceptance journey, ‘Keep fighting’
“I was training hard and eating healthy, but still gaining weight. My instructor told my mom I was ‘fat.’ Something in my body was wrong. A few months later, I’d be in the ICU fighting for my life.”
‘It’s just a chest infection.’ My mom KNEW it wasn’t. The ambulance arrived in minutes. A half hour later, it would have been too late.’: Woman who survived meningitis is ‘grateful,’ says it ‘changed my life for the better’
“I was coughing up blood. I could see fear in their eyes. One nurse took my hand and said, ‘You’re going to be okay.’ I believe she was my guardian angel.”
‘God, PLEASE heal my child.’ Our future as parents seemed so unsure. We needed a MIRACLE. ‘Just keep pushing, baby.’: Mom to daughter fighting Ebstein’s Anomaly says ‘she’s our little light’
“‘I can’t celebrate, I can’t be happy!’ My dad told me, ‘Yes, you can. You’re going to enjoy these days with her.’ We relished in our sweet baby girl, just like my father told me. We soaked up EVERY milestone.”
‘A guardian angel called 9-1-1 as I convulsed in a coffee shop parking lot. At 18, I’d lost 20 jobs and been arrested 14 times.’: Man 13-years sober after long battle with addiction, ‘We’re not meant to live in darkness’
“As I lay in the ICU, I could see my mom raging in disappointment and agony as she tried to explain the situation to her colleagues. Where was the little boy she used to sing with? The little boy who helped bake cookies for Santa and colored Easter eggs? My life had spiraled out of control.”
‘This is a mistake! She CAN’T be mine.’ I turned everyone away from the hospital. I thought I ruined our lives.’: Special needs mom details Down syndrome journey
“My vision of perfection vanished and I felt disconnected. It was painful to say the words. But it had been her all along.”
‘Something’s happened to Drew. We were on our way to the park.’ I thought, ‘He’ll be OK.’ I had to keep my promise to him.’: Woman with CHD becomes advocate after losing nephew to disease
“The doctor said, ‘Time to pray.’ She’d never seen so many tubes in such a little body. They filled with blood. ‘We’re having a problem.’”
