“My family and friends told me, ‘Calm down. Everybody gets stressed.’ I watched my parents Lysol my whole car, shaking on the ground and unable to move. Being on the other side of healthcare as the patient everyone assumed was ‘crazy’ felt absolutely surreal.”
‘I’ve been drowning for so long.’ I washed my hands until they bled and cleaned obsessively. My brain played tricks on me.’: Nurse becomes mental health advocate, ‘You’re NOT alone’
‘That’s just the coke talking!’ I shook 5 Ambien into my hand. It had become a full-blown dragon.’: Former addict celebrates 20 years of sobriety. ‘I made the mess into a lesson’
“I didn’t think of prescription drugs as ‘drugs.’ I washed pills down with Amstel Light. I thought I was doing what I needed to do to sleep.”
‘I’m cutting ties with you, mom. This is not the life I want for my children. I’m setting myself free.’ I awoke to numerous texts and calls.’: Mother battling meth addiction 3 years sober after wake-up call goes viral
“At 16, I was pregnant with twins. ‘I promise to help you raise them.’ Days later, you ended up in jail. I cried for you as they prepped me for an emergency C-section. I desperately needed you there to hold my hand. You missed my graduation, the birth of my children. I spent years wondering how you could leave me. My love could never keep you sober. Then, I wrote my goodbye letter.”
‘A guardian angel called 9-1-1 as I convulsed in a coffee shop parking lot. At 18, I’d lost 20 jobs and been arrested 14 times.’: Man 13-years sober after long battle with addiction, ‘We’re not meant to live in darkness’
“As I lay in the ICU, I could see my mom raging in disappointment and agony as she tried to explain the situation to her colleagues. Where was the little boy she used to sing with? The little boy who helped bake cookies for Santa and colored Easter eggs? My life had spiraled out of control.”
‘Dad, I need help.’ I broke down in a fast food parking lot at 8 a.m., drunk from the change I scrounged together. I was taking 40 pills a day.’: Dad in tears walking sober daughter down the aisle
“I called my dad crying and told him the truth. I was living a secret life, raising a 4-year-old. Not once did he scold me or judge me. He came to my rescue.”
‘If he hadn’t reached out, he would’ve been dead. This is something everyone needs to hear.’: Loved one shares reality of what’s ‘brewing’ beneath the surface of COVID-19
“COVID-19 almost killed my friend, but not in the way you’re thinking. His addiction was not something anyone saw coming.”
‘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.”
‘He leaned in for a hug. ‘Thank you. You saved me.’ He was refused rehab due to previous charges.’: Woman shares act of kindness for struggling addict, ‘There was no way I was giving up’
“One night, I noticed a young man who looked a little off standing outside on the patio. I approached him and introduced myself. I could tell something was wrong. After a while, he had spilled everything out to me. ‘I feel like I’m going to break down.’ He was refused rehab due to previous charges.”
‘It’s probably stress.’ My newly retired parents became full time caregivers. Waking up was worse than my nightmares.’: Man with chronic illness turns life around, ‘I turned pain into purpose’
“I now raised a finger signaling, ‘Yes.’ This was how I communicated. I felt like a burden to my friends. An injury twisted the fate of my entire life.”
‘Is today the day?’ It was like she knew something we didn’t. She just wants to be a kid again.’: Parents share reality of 9-year-old daughter’s battle with brain cancer, ‘Her faith is high’
“She told us she felt useless. It broke our hearts. ‘I’m tired of being stared at for having a wheelchair.’ She is going to fight until it’s gone.”
