“Even a feather-light touch could send me screaming in agony. It felt like I was being stabbed in my spine, over and over again. At a time when I could’ve really used a hug… I couldn’t receive one.”
‘It’s like being stung by a thousand bees.’ No one knew why I was in pain. And no one knew why the pain was spreading.’: Woman describes journey with Lyme disease, ‘It made me who I am’
‘Mommy deserves a treat.’ Drinking two bottles of wine a night was my norm. I felt like I was failing at life.’: Sober mom shares recovery journey, ‘Let’s show our kids sobriety’
“After I gave birth, family and friends left gifts for me. All alcohol-related. ’Oh, you’re gonna need this.’ I couldn’t keep up with society’s expectations of motherhood.”
‘My mug shot was on the news. ‘I’ve been using drugs and I’m in trouble. I don’t want to live.’ The nurse said, ‘You’re in the right place.’: Woman overcomes addiction, ‘I help people like me’
“I contemplated if I was in love with the pills and white powder he seemed to always have or if I loved him. Any loyalty I had eventually shifted to the drugs.”
‘She’ll never have a boyfriend!’ My dad rushed out of the room. It looked like I’d been punched in the cheek.’: Woman with Port Wine Stain overcomes bullying, ‘Be kind to yourself’
“A classmate pointed at my birthmark and laughed, ‘Is that dried spaghetti sauce all over your face?’ My face was blotchy and far from perfect. I was mortified.”
‘You need to bring her back to the hospital.’ I couldn’t help but sob. We didn’t realize how sick she was.’: Mom says baby with rare 2q37 Deletion Syndrome is ‘a little world-changer’
“I’ll never forget being told to catheterize our 5-day-old baby. I didn’t even know that was possible. When they strapped her little arm, I nearly fainted.”
‘You were born for our entertainment.’ An avalanche of mean comments poured in. It was crushing.’: Woman with dwarfism ‘determined’ to spread awareness
“With a smile, my dad said, ‘You’re going to be tiny all your life.’ It didn’t usually bother me. I found acceptance and kindness at nearly every turn. And then I went viral.”
‘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.”
‘He pulled out a baggy from his sock. ‘I think you might like this.’ I’d do anything for him.’: Woman recovers from drug and alcohol addiction, ‘I needed to change for ME’
“I drank every day, starting at 5. I’d pour vodka into mini shampoo bottles. When I moved in with my husband, I hid vodka in the closet. It was like my secret, a game.”
‘They found cancer in her blood.’ The wind was knocked out of me. I bawled like a baby.’: Single dad says 2-year-old battling cancer ‘gives me the strength to go on’
“The news came one night when I was teaching a zoom class. I remember holding onto her so tightly, weeping. I had a choice to make. Would I choose to carry the legacy of my late wife or give up?”
‘My leg broke out of nowhere. ‘I need to, literally, cut my losses.’ Nothing was the same again.’: Woman becomes amputee, ‘I don’t regret it for one second’
“I realized I was there but didn’t really feel present. It was as if I was behind a glass wall, watching everyone else. At that moment, something in my brain clicked. I couldn’t do it anymore. I knew what I had to do.”
