“You’ve never really listened to me before, so maybe telling you all of this stuff is pointless. Maybe you’re not even listening now. Even if you are, it’s not like you’re going to feel sorry for me after everything you’ve put me through.”
‘I’ve never been a confident person, you know that all too well. That’s why you chose me to be your next victim that fateful night.’: Woman pens letter to her eating disorder, ‘I’m not keeping you a secret anymore’
‘She put her drink in my face. ‘Have a sip!’ I was risking my life.’: Woman recounts alcohol recovery journey, ‘It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done’
“I should just set my husband free, he deserves better. My only goal was to survive the day.”
‘We caught each other’s eye on the way to addiction recovery. Two hopeless addicts, from completely different sides of the world.’: Couple beat addiction together, ‘There is always hope’
“It’s strange how love works.”
‘I crumpled to the ground. ‘She’s a crybaby,’ the doctor said. ‘There’s nothing wrong. She’s wasting our time, take her home.’ I was misdiagnosed as a hysterical teen girl.’: Chronic illness warrior runs for first time in 29 years
“Flesh peeled away from my exposed wound and floated like confetti all around me as I sat in excruciating pain. I will never forget the smell. ‘You outta play the lottery, kid! You hit the proverbial jackpot, not once, but twice. What are the odds!’ It was spreading to my ‘good’ leg. There was no more Lara left, only pain. I was told it was all in my head.”
‘I have a bad feeling.’ Suddenly, I saw commotion. His diaper had fused to his lower back. I could smell his skin.’: Mom shares 2-year-old burn survivor’s journey
“The fire pit was about 5 feet away. I stood up to get a better view and what I saw would haunt me. I wanted so badly to end his pain.”
‘I couldn’t find an Uber. A few drinks in was the sweet spot. I needed to go home. In the moment, I felt sorry for him.’: Abuse survivor recounts chilling night
“At about 4 a.m. we were winding down. I needed to get back to my daughter. I wish I could say I ended it right then. We loaded up and headed back to the hotel. I should’ve gone home. I thought somehow I could fix him.”
‘I can’t do this another day!’ My hands were rotten, my skin so red and thin I could see my bone through it.’: Teen OCD survivor becomes mental health advocate, ‘There’s light at the end of the tunnel’
“’I found her blue,’ my nurse explained. What? How bad was this? My family watched in horror as I destroyed my body and soul. Then something flipped. I just wanted to go home.”
‘I was a teenager, blacking out multiple times a week. I heard voices in my head saying, ‘Just end it.’: Recovering alcoholic details sobriety journey, ‘You are NOT alone’
“I was young, outgoing, had a car, a job, and a boyfriend. But I blacked out often. The truth is, I was barely holding on.”
‘You’re embarrassing to be seen with.’ My BMI was too high. He told me, ‘I want to break up, I’m bored.’ I began starving myself for his attention.’: Woman urges ‘never let anyone determine your worth’ after nearly-fatal eating disorder
“‘If I can make my body exactly how it was, he’ll want me again.’ I used Lent as an excuse for my new ‘diet.’ My doctor said, ‘If you catch a cold, your body won’t be able to fight it off.’ Sean immediately took note of my body changes. I was creating a monster.”
‘I’m going to die young.’ I was drunk the day I took my SATs. I’d go days without eating.’: Single mom overcomes addiction, ‘I wanted to see my daughter grow up’
“While my friends were dreaming about their future careers, I was dreaming about booze. I’d carve words into my legs just to feel something. And then I got pregnant. The only thing I wanted for this child is to not feel how I felt.”
