“I called my husband. ‘There’s no time. Get home quickly.’ The doctor informed us, ‘If Madi doesn’t respond, we will have to intubate her.’ I just stood there in shock. ‘I don’t understand. She only has pneumonia.’ Something else was going on with her body. It all started with fever, body aches, and a cough.”
‘I pulled back the shower curtain in shock. Her eyes were sunken in, her lips blue. ‘Your daughter will likely pass.’ I sat with my head in my hands. ‘Why won’t anyone look at me?!’: Girl survives flu after 93-day battle in hospital, ‘Her health will never be the same’
‘I was coughing so much I fractured my rib. ‘I will fight for myself and my baby.’ I gave my life to bringing a baby into the world.’: Woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta gives birth to healthy baby, ‘Never give up on your dreams’
“The doctor wouldn’t test my hormones. I was livid. ‘If you don’t give me an exact reason, I’m going to disregard your opinion.’ I know people were scared, but so was I.”
‘There’s nothing left we can do.’ My knees went weak when I saw them. Their skin was almost see-through.’: Young mom gives birth to twin micro preemies, ‘They are thriving’
“My blood pressure was so high, they were surprised I hadn’t had a stroke. It was time for them to come out. As a single mother watching both kids fight for their lives, I was lost.”
‘I watched friends celebrate, while I was robbed of living life. The Internet is a blessing and a curse.’: Woman with Cystic Fibrosis gives tips on how to survive quarantine, ‘The limits are endless’
“One issue a lot of people face is in their time of solitude, they may be confronted with the fact that being by yourself is frightening. Your mind needs to become comfortable being alone. There will be no distraction. Your inner-monologue will inevitably be louder and more present than it ever has before.”
‘It’s time to consider a lung transplant.’ I was terrified of dying before I’d started living.’: Young woman with Cystic Fibrosis fights ‘to live the fullest life I can, in the time I am given to live it’
“My parents comfort me by saying, ‘We will get through this.’ I needed oxygen pumped into my nostrils at all times to breathe. I was afraid I was dying. I’ve seen videos where they interview elderly people on their deathbeds who are asked what they regret in life. Most people regret not having lived passionately, fulfilled and happy. I believed I would be one of them if I didn’t make a change.”
‘Is this a nightmare?’ We said goodbye, not knowing if she’d recognize us again. Our sweet, perfect girl was dying.’: Mom ‘crushed’ by Childhood Alzheimer’s diagnosis, ‘We spoil her every day’
“5 hours after she was born, they needed life-flighted her to another hospital. ‘Your baby is breathing a hundred breaths per minute.’ I was numb. She stayed on oxygen for two months, but there was still no diagnosis. Her file read, ‘Unknown respiratory issues at birth.’ I felt hopeless for answers.”
‘This will be the last time we see each other,’ she said, tears in her eyes. I looked at her, puzzled. ‘Don’t be so dramatic.’: Woman overcomes years of emotional abuse
“On my wedding night, she grabbed me by the shoulders. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow at the house.’ Little did I know, these words were going to be our last. She decided to go out with a bang, turning what was supposed to be a joyous day into a painful one. She couldn’t bear to see me happy.”
‘The nurse checked if my skin was salty to confirm her suspicions. She was right. I came out of the hospital and immediately changed my job.’: Woman diagnosed with ‘life-threatening’ Cystic Fibrosis, ‘I couldn’t be more alive’
“I was rushed to the hospital into intensive care. I was not expected to survive, but luck seemed to be on my side. The nurse who was caring for me suspected what it was – her daughter also had it.”
‘Doctors couldn’t figure out why I was so unlucky, they would tell my mom she was worried for nothing, kids my age are always sick. My mom knew something wasn’t right.’
“My mom noticed a hump on one side of my back but didn’t think anything of it. 3 weeks later the hump grew bigger.”
‘I don’t use makeup because I’m ashamed of my disease but because I feel entitled to not be defined by it.’
“It’s a way to distract myself and hide the raw emotions of my mental, emotional, and physical struggles. The power of makeup has been a nice reminder that through my suffering, the true me is still in there.”
