“I fainted after getting home from karate class, a searing pain in my gut. My mom tried to revive me on the chilly tiles of our bathroom floor. Doctors offered me a second-rate heart, believing I wouldn’t survive otherwise.”
‘He won’t live to see his 7th birthday.’ My eyes were completely sunken into my skeleton-like body.’: Heart and kidney transplant warrior urges ’we’re stronger than we realize’
‘We were two women, thrust into the positions of caregiver and lover. The trajectory of our lives forever changed.’: Partners of quadriplegic men pioneer global support community for others
“They were more than their new wheelchairs. They were the guys we fell in love with. We lost our home, careers, and the life we once knew. There was nothing available online, no resources for women like us. Then, we found each other.”
‘How are we going to make this work?’ Our families thought we were crazy. We really felt like this was forever.’: Interabled couple share love story, ‘Get rid of the idea disabilities hold you back’
“I started to get nervous. ‘Do you think I need to help him get to the bar?’ I’d never dated a guy in a wheelchair before. After that, we were inseparable! He pulled out a ring box. ‘Of course!’ I screamed.”
‘The neurologist called. ‘I’m 90% sure your son has Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation. Do not google it.’: Special needs mom urges, ‘Life can be beautiful, even when it doesn’t go as planned’
“Christopher is 7 years old and cannot sit on his own without falling over. He can’t walk and uses a wheelchair. He hasn’t had food orally for over 5 years, and is fed with a GJ tube. He has never told me he loves me, or said a single word. And I have learned that even without words, his story is going to be a beautiful one.”
‘I knew FA was present, but I refused to acknowledge it — to protect my heart and my free spirit.’: After years of denial, woman embraces mobility aid and life with a rare genetic disease
“I never talked about FA with friends, classmates, or professors. I exhausted myself doing so much walking around campus, attempting to keep up and pretend everything was ok. I had tunnel vision; walking on my own was all I cared about… until I had no choice.”
‘My son’s tiny body was wracked with seizures. I stroked his tense, shaking face, whispering his name that he was safe.’: Mom says her son is a ‘miracle’ despite debilitating Polymicrogyria diagnosis
“This moment was one I’d never in my 33 years of anxiety imagined happening to me. I held my phone steadily pointed towards my little boy, in hopes of capturing his every move on video. I was witnessing something I’d never have wished on the worst of enemies. I searched ‘Polymicrogyria,’ ran to the toilet, threw up my breakfast and curled into a tight ball. When I tell friends my son has a condition that causes epilepsy, they respond by saying, ‘at least that is treatable.’”
‘I can’t walk, yet I’ve traveled to 23 countries, 80 cities. My husband carries me on his back. Up stairs, up mountains, across the world.’: Woman paralyzed in scooter accident, husband’s love reminds her ‘anything is possible’
“We were heading home by scooter when we slipped. After I lost movement in my legs, I was afraid no one could ever love me like this…halved. I didn’t love myself. But he’s always remained by my side. You can lose almost everything, you can lose your legs, and maybe even your wheelchair, but nobody can take away your determination.”
‘It’s really bad this time,’ she whispered. ‘My sister kicked me out. The cops are involved. I’m so scared.’: Paralyzed husband and his wife adopt 19-year-old, only 6 years younger than them
“‘Emily?’ The sniffling voice on the other line was hoarse from sobbing. I sighed. A tearful call in the middle of the night could only mean one thing. She hesitated. ‘Will you and Chris be my foster parents?’ I was caught off guard. We were 23 and 24 at the time, and newly engaged.”
‘A 20-year-old suddenly appeared on our doorstep. He needed a family just as much as we needed him. His foster mom texted me, ‘I’m no longer able to provide care for him.’
“Joe had lived with a caring foster mother for the past 7 years. He has cognitive disabilities and required ongoing care, even though he was now an adult. I emailed friends, ‘I feel sad he is not with us.’ Less than an hour later, I got her text. We had less than a day to decide.”
‘I got a message from a stranger offering condolences for my fiancé. My heart raced. I had NO IDEA what was going on.’: Deputy paralyzed in shooting, girlfriend embraces his ‘new normal’ with open arms
“His last text read, ‘bank robber.’ I raced upstairs, put on clothes. After several unanswered phone calls, Jamie’s sergeant picked up. ‘He’s been shot in the back.’ He was paralyzed from the sternum down. The news didn’t hit until I had to relay it to my parents. I can’t make his pain go away. I can’t make his legs move again. But what I can do is love him.”
