“I turned to Instagram. Right before my eyes was a ready-made group of soulmates. Women who advocate with such ferocity for their children, who live on 3 hours of sleep, who know reference numbers and caloric values and fio2 conversions off the top of their heads. My people.”
‘As a bereaved mother of a medically-fragile, premature twin, I can finally say I’ve met my ‘people.’ And the funny thing is, I’ve never actually met any of them.’: Mom thanks ‘Insta-Village’ for ‘being my source of strength’
‘We have a kitten with no eyes.’ He looked like a mini Frankenstein monster. Instantly, we became advocates.’: Couple shares animal rescue missions, ‘I never planned to own my own personal zoo’
“I was awakened for the next three nights at 3 a.m. by the bright light of her cell-phone in my face, highlighting the picture of a puppy. ‘Please?’ she begged. In a moment of grief, I felt called to act.”
‘I TOLD you, I’m blind. I can’t anymore.’ His response surprised me. ‘So?’ My new life began.’: Man shares journey learning to live visually impaired, ‘Fail, get up, keep moving forward’
“I biked into the back of a parked car. There was a group of people on the other side of the street laughing. I thought to myself, ‘I knew this would happen, you don’t belong on a bike anymore.’”
‘I think I’m going to die.’ My body was shutting down. If I closed my eyes, they wouldn’t open again.’: Chronic illness warrior battling Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome says ‘hope keeps us alive’
“I went into the hospital, screaming how intense the pain was. The staff took my parents out of the room to ask, ‘Is she pretending to be ill for attention?’ I thought once I was diagnosed, all this would change.”
‘What have I done to deserve this?’ I’d wake up hoping the drugs and alcohol had killed me in my sleep. The pain was unbearable’: Man with Crohn’s disease celebrates 8 months sober
“At age 20, I had two feet of my small bowel removed. I’d be straining my stomach acid out. I didn’t tell anyone about how much it was affected my mental health. I started drinking in the daytime. I wanted to end my life.”
‘Are you ready to meet him?’ He was born addicted to methadone. I didn’t know what to expect. The moment I saw him, I knew he was my son.’: Couple battling infertility for 7 years share adoption journey
“Each pregnancy announcement was more and more heartbreaking. It felt like we weren’t meant to be parents. Our attorney called, ‘She’s interested in talking to you.’ We were beyond shocked.”
‘If you tell anyone about this, you won’t live.’ I was determined to break the generational curses and trauma. Survival mode kicked in.’: Abuse survivor shares journey to healing and self-love
“At 3 years old, I was forced to drink raw eggs and smoke half of a cigarette by my mom’s boyfriend. The court system failed me. At 19, I became homeless. I tried to leave my relationship but found myself fighting an uphill battle. By the time I had my second daughter, I knew I needed to find a way out.”
‘Am I going to get sick?’ I lived in fear of myself and what people thought of me. I started ripping my hair out.’: Woman shares struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder, ‘It gets so much better’
“I found myself missing school daily. I’d wake up, feel a little sick, and have a full-blown panic attack. Panic attacks made me hate every second of my life. I wanted to end it all.”
‘The pamphlet said, ‘Life expectancy, 30 years. ‘That’s NOT me.’ My parents raised me to be FEARLESS.’: Cystic Fibrosis warrior shares journey, ‘I live on my own terms’
“My parents were told, ‘You probably won’t see his 20th birthday.’ I was in complete shock, fear ran through me. But I live with a ‘NO EXCUSE’ attitude.”
‘What about the birth parents?’ We were gaining HER, too. We had no morning sickness or ultrasounds. THIS was the plan.’: Mom shares adoption journey, ‘She’s brought more joy than we ever thought possible’
“When we finally saw her, I was in awe. We couldn’t just gloss over the trauma our newborn felt. Adoption is full of celebration for the love of a child, but it is also full of pain, loss, and grief.”