“I was embarrassed to go out in public. I felt like I was suffering in silence—were there other women going through this? Would I ever find relief? Would I ever feel like myself again? I could have just accepted my new normal. I could have stopped advocating for myself, especially as my parents’ health declined and my marriage ended. But I didn’t give up.”
‘The male gynecologist told me to ‘grin and bear it.’ I knew my symptoms were real, but no one believed me.’: Woman with severe perimenopause finds relief after 9 years of suffering
‘Months after we married, he just left. We got into a big fight, so out the door and into the car he went while I was left alone to cry.’: Woman shares important lesson on compromise in marriage
“I went on and on about why he should be doing what I wanted him to do, and he went on and on about why he should be doing what he wanted. Our words flew over and around each other, landing on ears unwilling to listen. This was not the wedded bliss I imagined.”
‘Her last breath was taken doing what she loved—helping people in Afghanistan. Then there was an explosion. And just like that, she’s gone.’: Marine navigates grief after losing veteran best friend
“There is no PowerPoint training, no class from the chaps, nothing, that can adequately prepare you for seeing your best friend’s name on a cross. Her car is still there, but she’s gone forever. 23 years old. Gone.”
‘I’d PANIC when my father pulled up to the school. ‘Wendy is going to see the PIMPLE doctor!’: Woman overcomes acne and mental health struggles
“I’d wake up early enough to reapply makeup on top of the makeup I slept in then get back into bed so I could look ‘pretty’ for my boyfriend when he woke up.”
‘He was young but very sick. He was intubated, on multiple pressure drips, sedation and pain medications. She told me how he was OK just a few days ago.’: Nurse details recovery of stranger with Covid-19
“His eyes shot wide open and he looked at me with as much joy as someone in his condition could. I told him his wife and daughters loved him and are rooting for him. He squeezed my hand and then gave me a thumbs up.”
‘I was 15, terrified. I got my first positive pregnancy test in my high school bathroom.’: Teen mom marries high school sweetheart, 4 kids later she ‘wouldn’t change a thing’
“It was a Friday night, the first football game of the year. I was a freshman. One of my friends talked me into going to the game and dance afterwards. Little did I know, that dance would change my life. I ran into my neighbor and his friend, Chad. We talked, laughed, had a great time. By the end of the night, I put my number in Chad’s phone. Months later, I was asking my friend to buy me a pregnancy test. I was 15.”
‘The look on his face told me everything. He said 3 letters that changed my life. ‘D.O.A.’ Dead on arrival.’: Young woman feels ‘overwhelming guilt’ after roommate dies from heroin overdose, finally gets clean
“My ex and I got into an argument. I remember looking at him, and it hit me. I was looking at a stranger. I didn’t know who I was. I pleaded for God to give me a sign. Moments later, I heard sirens. I knew they were coming to our house. I looked out the window and saw 2 firetrucks screeching to a stop. I ran downstairs as fast as I could towards the pounding on the door. Before I could get a word out, the man told me, ‘We got a call that someone has overdosed.'”
‘I had a stroke at 28. Everyone assumed I was dehydrated. Soon enough, I was signing for my husband to take me off life support.’: Young couple share struggles through miscarriage, stroke, ‘We were given a second chance, we’re not going to waste it’
“We had a beautifully healed daughter. Our marriage was stronger than ever. That’s when everything changed, again. Words cannot describe how scared we were. We were again trying to hide our struggles behind fake smiles. That’s when they heard it.”
‘You’re too young to get married,’ they said. I was 22, fresh out of college. This man was 8 years my senior. ‘What do you see in him? It will never work.’
“If you can get past my pencil-thin eyebrows in this picture, then you might see LOVE. Young love. ‘What is he doing with someone your age?,’ they asked. Well, I’ve got some words for you.”
‘My boyfriend is on the couch. ‘What is wrong?,’ he asks. ‘I’m pregnant.’ I said sobbing. He turned his TV show off and hugged me. ‘What do you want to do?,’ he asked me.’
“I was 19 and in college to be a teacher. Getting pregnant was the last thing on my mind. I had goals, aspirations, a dream career. Everything was going right. My boyfriend and I had only been dating for 6 months, we barely knew each other.”
