“People will NOT feel sorry for you if you CHOOSE to beat yourself up.”
‘I don’t deserve it.’ That hate you have towards yourself? The harm you directly cause yourself? That’s on you.’: Woman talks ‘world of difference’ gratitude has made
‘Thank you, sis, for checking in even when I don’t always check on you back.’: Mom to son with autism says ‘check on your special needs family or friend, they may not know they need it’
“I whined about my stresses over the phone. I cried about how hard life is with a special needs child. I must have sounded so self-absorbed. And then you said, ‘I can’t relate at all, but you’re doing amazing. Don’t feel bad for venting, ever.’ Instantly, my anxiety washed away.”
‘His arms and legs, are they there?’ I couldn’t look at his picture.’: Mom says son with limb differences is ‘exactly who he is supposed to be’
“Friends would talk about how cute he was going to be. It was painful to hear family talk about his height or what sports he’d play. I knew there was a possibility we weren’t going to experience it.”
‘Go the F– to sleep! You ruined my life!’ I cried and clenched my fists. Nothing I did helped.’: Mom shares candid reality of Postpartum Depression, ‘You can come out a warrior’
“He would stay awake all day long and barely sleep at night. ‘You’re so annoying, I wish I never had you!’ When I realized what I’d just said to my sweet baby, I knew something was really wrong. I wasn’t myself.”
‘I explained my past. ‘The man took photographs. He was 57 years old.’ I hated myself and turned to drugs.’: Woman with BPD gets sober, changes life, ‘I love how far I’ve come’
“I struggled to talk to the therapist. I explained what I went through when I was 12. I encountered a child predator. Having my son pushed me to find the answers as to what happened.”
‘I was shut upstairs, locked away. ‘There must be something wrong with me.’ Sex was learned from books. I felt unsafe.’: Woman leaves past life, walks 500 miles, ‘I let others love me’
“At 12, my grandmother looked me in the eye and said, ‘If you want to go to the gym, I’ll pay. I think you need it.’ I was the girl who drank 25 shots in a row and took her clothes off in a room full of people. I felt dead inside.”
‘Something’s wrong.’ She’d stop breathing. We’d have a blue baby in our arms. The whirlwind had just begun.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Gould Syndrome, ‘She lives a joy-filled life’
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
‘I don’t know who I am.’ I struggled with feeling depressed and hopeless. All my dreams died.’: Man diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia raises awareness, ‘I want to encourage people’
“I had more and more difficulties performing physical functions. I couldn’t keep my balance. ‘Maybe I had too many concussions.’ I felt defeated thinking about all the things I wouldn’t be able to do with my wife and kids.”
‘I want to do more!’ I begged my mom to let me make them all a Love Blanket.’: 11-year-old makes blankets for kids who ‘need a little bit of extra love’
“The very first blanket we made went to a little girl who was autistic and had been bullied in school. I can’t fix the problems they are dealing with, but I can make them a Love Blanket and let them know they’re loved.”
‘Are they ALL yours?’ What do I say? ‘Yes, these 4 are mine, but those 3 aren’t.’ Being a step-parent is THE thankless job.’: Mom discusses ups and downs of being a blended family
“Even after 4 years, my step-daughter will walk right past me to find her dad and ask him for a glass of water. HELLO? I’m standing right here! I matter when it’s convenient.”
