“19 years old, I’d found a part-time job waiting tables at a local Olive Garden for the summer. One blistering hot day in July, I dropped a coworker off at work, looking forward to her shift ending so we could go out dancing. I had no idea my life was about to be turned upside down.”
‘As I rinsed my car, a man from behind placed a knife at my throat. Hand over my mouth, he dragged me to the floor of his car, forcing handcuffs around my wrists.’: Kidnapping, sexual assault survivor urges ‘there is abundant life after trauma’
‘Walls were painted blue, gendered gifts purchased, and everyone in the delivery room was shocked when I entered the world with a vagina.’: Intersex individual proud after ‘living in secrecy for 27 years’
“Before I turned one year old, I was forcibly sterilized. Or, in simpler terms, castrated.”
‘What happened to your face and neck?’ In the blink of an eye, my brother became a monster.’: Childhood abuse survivor urges ‘letting go is the best gift we can give ourselves’
“There were blue-black marks everywhere. One never truly knows how fragile life is until you nearly lose it.”
‘Please hug me one last time.’ There was no light in his eyes.’: Woman shares childhood trauma, urges ‘forgiveness goes a long way’
“I was 8 years old when my mom called me inside from playing. ‘Your dad was using drugs, and it killed him.'”
‘A bear walked over my makeshift den. I saw a man cut off a boar’s head with a knife.’: Veteran backpacks across America to escape PTSD, details amazing journey
“I ran into an old, homeless blind man and decided to buy him a small RV to live in. I was able to experience first-hand what it was like to live as a homeless person. It left me longing to help.”
‘I grabbed her hand and yelled, ‘RUN!’ The rush of people overtook me. I fell underneath thousands running for their lives.’: Woman survives Las Vegas mass shooting, ‘I live a life that matters now’
“The ‘a-ha’ lightbulb went off and fight-or-flight kicked in. That moment when you think of your kids, your husband, your family, who you may never see again.”
‘Just stop being OCD and relax!’ I wish I could. Trust me.’: Woman gets real about mental health, urges ‘be kind to people’
“I’m convinced my husband is dead if he’s even five minutes late. I can’t drive behind log trucks because I get actual full-on mental pictures of the post-accident carnage. But I do a terrific job of ‘pretending.'”
‘It’s not her, it’s him. She isn’t leaving.’ I sat there, wide-eyed, waiting for them to explain. I thought I was hurting my baby.’: Preemie warrior graduates NICU after emotional 67-day stay
“I told my husband I was heading to the hospital for fluids. ‘Same story, different day?’ The nurse turned the monitors away from me. That’s when everything changed.”
‘All I could think was, ‘How can I have PTSD? Isn’t that just for veterans?’ One traumatic event had changed my life forever.’: Community rallies to raise 15k+ for trauma survivor in need of service dog
“I started passing out in stairwells and parking lots at just 15 years old. We thought it was a ‘fluke.’ My potassium was low, no big deal. After years with no answers and countless misdiagnoses, a neuropsychiatrist finally said, ‘Felicia, have you ever experienced trauma?’ My husband encouraged me to come clean.”
‘I was striving for unattainable perfection.’: Woman with Cerebral Palsy shares battle with PTSD, ‘I was BORN to thrive’
“I didn’t see an end in sight. I stayed up for 32 hours straight as panic attacks caused me to blackout, resulting in concussions. I was tired. I was done.”
