“I would go into the bathroom stall during halftime and re-apply the tape that held my wig on. I saw nothing beautiful about my bald head. When they called me ‘baldy’ or said, ‘Lindsay is ugly,’ I believed it was true. I took my wig off mid-run. And for the first time, I saw nothing beautiful about it. I finally felt like I was the Lindsay I was always meant to be.”
‘I could never date someone without hair.’ I’ll never forget the look of disgust on his face.’: Woman with alopecia ditches wig, ‘It has shown me I can do anything I set my mind to’
‘Why are your legs so fat?’ She laughed. I took my headphones out. ‘Pardon?’ Passengers watched.’: Woman brought to tears by stranger’s rude comment, realizes her ‘fat’ legs have ‘done her well’ in life
“I sat between two teenage girls. They were getting louder, being obnoxious. She repeated, ‘Why are your legs so fat?’ The woman next to me berated her for being so rude. I could still hear them giggling. I could feel my face burning. I couldn’t get off the train fast enough. The first thing I did was call my husband, crying, barely able to get my words out.”
‘Why am I doing this?’ I couldn’t run at the park or playground. I hid my pain from my parents for years. When I spoke to them, they were shocked.’ Man surprises parents with life-changing decision
“I was nervous but excited. I didn’t want to say no to a challenge. I was determined to train for the marathon, even though I’m convinced the universe was trying to stop me. Even if I needed to walk or crawl, I was crossing that line!”
‘I am a people-pleaser. I’m a mom of 3 boys and a teacher and that, homies, is busy enough. ‘Can we swap so I can get a quick run in?,’ I asked my husband. But then, I got the text.’
“I got a text asking if I would make it to a meeting for Vacation Bible School leaders tonight. Um, what? This wasn’t in my phone alerts, on a Post-it, or scribbled on a calendar. I completely dropped the ball, and I handled it like any other mature 40-year-old. I cried. I lost it.”
‘This is not my year to run a marathon, drink 2 gallons of water a day, or make healthy, home-cooked meals. It is my year to survive.’: Mom shares candid goal for the new year
“This year, I’m laying it all down. I can’t. The truth is, I’m in the weeds. Some years aren’t meant to be record-breaking. Some years are meant to survive.”
‘I was 32 years old with a dead husband. I wanted to – needed to – feel in control. I worried people would think I was ‘over’ my loss. I wasn’t.’
“I couldn’t control my husband dying unexpectedly, but I could control this ending.”
