“When I was a new nurse, I walked with a pep in my step. I had new scrubs, perfect pens, and a glow. I went from feeling calm to terrified. The pandemic rages on. The frontliners are still there, showing up, sacrificing their own safety.”
‘Am I going to be able to do this forever?’ I wasn’t ME. I felt let down and abandoned. The anxiety was horrific.’: COVID-19 nurse encourages healthcare workers, ‘We’ll get through this’
‘How is this so easy for some people?’ I’d sit in my car and cry before work. What if my dream was taken away?’: Nurse battles infertility, pregnant with IVF baby, ‘Don’t lose hope’
“I struggled going to work to take care of babies. All I ever wanted was to be a mom. ‘Are you okay, sweetie?’ I absolutely lost it. Infertility affected every aspect of my life.”
‘People yelled from their cars, ‘Fatty!’ It was clear I was the ‘fat one.’ I thought if I lost weight, the bullying would stop.’: Woman shares self-love journey, ‘I deserve love at any size’
“I saw myself in the mirror and started to cry. My stomach stuck out. My body jiggled. I was introduced to diet pills, skinny teas, calorie counting. It was more important to shrink myself than to be happy or healthy.”
‘You have lesions in your eye.’ I ran out, crying hysterically. I thought I was going to die.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis advocates for invisible illnesses, ‘Be proud of who you are’
“I told my boyfriend to wait in the car. ‘I just need some eye drops.’ My vision was off. ‘We need to send you for an MRI.’ I stood there, thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?’ I was going blind in my left eye.”
‘You’re under arrest.’ My HUSBAND called the police on me. I woke up in the back of a cop car.’: Woman gets sober, delivers rainbow baby, ‘I can’t live my best life while drinking’
“I fed my toddler crackers and watched TV because I couldn’t function. I could NOT parent. The ‘’mommy juice’ culture became a slippery slope.”
‘I packed away my son’s newborn clothes last week. Tiny onesie by tiny onesie, my heart ACHED with thankfulness.’: Mom of rainbow baby will ‘never be sad’ when watching son grow
“I’ve stopped greeted aging with sadness. Instead, with gratitude and amazement. Life is fleeting. Life is precious.”
‘If you keep eating, we’ll have to buy you maternity clothes.’ I felt disgusted. Everything I hated about myself was because of food.’: Woman raises eating disorder awareness, ‘Don’t turn a blind eye’
“I scrambled to anchor myself and settled on the one thing I could control. Food. The high I felt stepping on those scales, malnourished, with fragile wrists, was like no other to me. It was an addiction.”
‘If my only option is AA, I guess I’ll drink forever.’ I was just doing what I saw other moms do. I was stuck in a vicious cycle.’: Mom celebrates 3 years sober, ‘You are not alone’
“Alcohol was everywhere in motherhood. The baby showers I attended had mimosa bars, the playdates had wine. I attended a mommy-and-me class with ‘juice boxes’ for the moms. I should have seen the signs.”
‘I put my Christmas tree up early this year. F─k it. Let’s face it, this year has been hard. Like, really hard.’: Woman urges ‘do what makes YOU feel good
“I want nothing more than the glow of Christmas lights, the sweet smell of pine, the peace of holiday instrumentals backed by a fiery Yule log, the burn of a too-hot hot chocolate. I deserve this.”
‘We used Zoom to ‘gather’ and share your gender. We did a drive-by and virtual ‘shower.’ I have loved ones who never saw my pregnant belly in person. I’m glad I can consider 2020 the year of YOU.’: Mom pens touching letter to ‘pandemic baby’
“No waiting mass of family and friends in the waiting room. No hospital bedside meeting with your sissy. Just us. And you.”
