“On days I didn’t work, I spent the whole day on the couch. When I managed to get to the grocery store, I felt like a robot that had powered down. My brain just didn’t work.”
‘Only middle-aged men get that disease.’ I was only 22 and my body was falling apart.’: Woman with Ankylosing Spondylitis becomes wellness life coach
‘Your condition is dangerous.’ Blood came pouring out. I couldn’t live another day like this.’: Woman reveals ‘highs and lows’ of Crohn’s Disease, ‘I’m ready to take on what’s next’
“I ran to the bathroom thirty times a day, losing blood each time. I broke down and sobbed. I felt defeated by this disease. I was only a shadow of myself.”
‘It was just a cold,’ I was told.’: Mother realizes ‘the world isn’t out to get us’ after suddenly losing baby daughter to bronchiolitis
“She was still groggy and her chest sounded raspy. It was agreed it was almost certainly bronchiolitis. This was completely routine and very common. The hospital consultant came in. But before he’d even had done much checking at all, Carrie became distressed. And then she arrested. And then she died. Just like that. And our lives broke.”
‘I begged the doctors to check for popcorn in her lungs. ‘She’s fine!’ they told me. It was too late.’: 3-year-old girl nearly dies after ‘aspirating’ on popcorn, ‘Advocate for your child’
“After repeat visits to the emergency room, the doctor was frustrated. I was over it and sick of watching her struggle to breathe. She couldn’t run, swim, or play. I knew this wasn’t normal.”
‘I removed my breast implants. Within minutes, I was attacked by a man. ‘You look like a little boy. Where did your breasts go?’ It felt like a punch in my gut.’
“He proceeded to tell me that smaller chests were meant for middle school and that real women had ‘grown up’ bodies. Ouch.”
‘I was 22 and wanted to feel feminine. My husband said breast implants would help ‘spice things up.’: Woman removes implants after plagued by Breast Implant Illness, ‘Removing them gave me the confidence I lacked for years’
“No one could figure out what was wrong me. My hair was falling out in chunks, my joints were swollen, and I could no longer form complete sentences. Once I decided my implants could be poisoning me, I made the decision to get them taken out. ‘You’re going to be unhappy after removing them,’ my surgeon told me. I walked out and I knew he was not the guy for the job.”
‘My dad told us, ‘Make someone’s day better.’ I watched him take his last breath. ‘Just because he couldn’t receive my kidney, doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t.’ This is for you, dad.’
“I was nervous and excited the morning of the surgery. This was finally happening! We could feel my dad’s presence in the room. We each donated to a stranger, for him.”
‘My daughter started bawling and wouldn’t let go of me. ‘All you do is sleep!’ My friends would say, ‘You’re a single mom. It’s normal to be tired.’ I knew something was wrong.’
‘It was happening at home, at work, at the grocery store. When I got home, I would give my daughter a snack and immediately go to sleep. Every time I got up to use the restroom, my heart rate would shoot up. I started teaching my 8-year-old how to call 911 if I couldn’t make it to the phone.”
‘Nash started choking on popcorn. The next day he had a weird cough. He felt warm and was super fussy.’: Mom warns about giving popcorn to toddlers after ‘eye-opening’ aspirating accident
“Last Saturday night we were all watching a movie and eating popcorn, which is a very frequent event in our home. After a long night, my son’s breathing looked a little labored to me and he had a fever. I gave him Motrin and put him to bed. I called my pediatrician. ‘Nash needs to be seen ASAP.’ Thank goodness I trusted my instincts.”
