“Plenty of guys asked creepy questions or even had a wheelchair fetish. My hopes were never high. He changed the course of my life with one message. ‘Hi.’ Teenage me would have never imagined this kind of love for herself.”
‘You know I’m in a wheelchair, right?’ I canceled our date. I limited myself on the love I truly deserved.’: Interabled couple share love story, ‘Our relationship is 50/50, no matter what society thinks’
‘You won’t make it through the night.’ I was scared to close my eyes. ‘FIGHT HARDER!’ I told myself.’: Two-time cancer survivor becomes model, ‘I was determined to get ME back’
“I told myself, ‘It’s just 8 hours, you got this. You feel no pain!’ I was pumped with meds but NOTHING was working. Seeing the look on my parents’ faces, I knew I couldn’t give up.”
‘I saw letters scattered on an open shelf. ‘Believe in yourself.’ I had no idea what I’d just discovered.’: Woman shares self-love journey, ‘For the first time in a long time, I’m proud of who I am’
“I walked into the dollar store last summer and had no idea I was about to discover one of the most moving messages.”
‘This is a perfectly safe option.’ I LOVED how I looked. Then they tried to kill me. I couldn’t get them out of my body fast enough.’: Mom beats Breast Implant Illness, ‘This could SAVE your life’
“I struggled with loving my post-baby body. ‘Things’ seemed to have ‘deflated’ and headed south, if you know what I mean. I thought implants were ‘perfectly safe.’ What could go wrong?”
‘I want to swallow a bottle of pills and end it.’ Nothing brought me happiness. All I saw was a girl who needed to lose weight.’: Woman details recovery journey, ‘ALL bodies are good bodies’
“The clothes that once fit became baggy. One day, I tried an old pair of jeans on, and they fit. I CRIED. I had gained weight, and that was absolutely terrifying for me. I was always trying to be the ‘perfect’ girl.”
‘Be careful, your body attracts men.’ At age 11 I was told my figure wasn’t right. It ripped me apart.’: Formal dancer reflects on ‘body positive’ journey, ‘Learn to speak to yourself with love’
“We were told we could only drink water or Diet Coke because ‘you shouldn’t waste calories on fluids.’ At 17, I hated my body. But it was all ‘part of the job.’”
‘I told myself, ‘It won’t last forever.’ I was self-conscious about my looks. It was holding me back.’: Woman with Treacher Collins Syndrome says ‘I choose to feel nothing but empowered’
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
‘I thought people had to be pretty to work here.’ I acted like I wasn’t bothered, but I cried the whole night.’: Woman with psoriatic arthritis says she ‘isn’t defined’ by her condition
“It was no bigger than a penny, but I wasn’t really concerned. Then a customer said, ‘What’s on your face?’ My boss asked if I was okay, and I put on a brave face and acted as if I wasn’t bothered. Neither of us could believe what had just happened.”
‘This isn’t for me. I quit.’ The pressure lifted from my chest. I was free to forge my own path.’: Woman deletes social media on healing journey, ‘I started a clean slate’
“I quit my job. I avoided a possible catastrophic marriage. Everything I’d kept bottled up was starting to surface. I didn’t have much courage under my belt, but I was still brave.”
‘She’s never going to find someone now. She’s finished. A woman is single at 40.’: Newly single woman shares self love journey, ‘I am more than okay’
“Pathetic. She should just call it a day and get 10 cats, because if a woman is single at 40, she’s finished.”
