“I know this body that brings me to school and back is mine, but I don’t feel any ownership over it. Cutting off my hair felt like cutting off a leash. I’m starting to see someone I’ve longed to meet face-to-face for a long time.”
‘I’m not a princess!’ I tried to figure out who I was. I couldn’t back away from the truth. Finally, I looked in the mirror and said, ‘I’m a man.’: Transgender man details journey, ‘It was a release’
‘Well, it looks like you have a Duchenne boy.’ My stomach dropped. The more I read, the more I started to become numb.’: Mom shares journey of son with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy
“I was so angry. I was angry at the doctor who said, ‘You have a Duchenne boy but here’s a great camp we offer. It’s free!’ I was angry at the physical therapists who had worked with my son for years and hadn’t caught on. I was angry I had to wait over a month to be told my seemingly healthy son is terminal.”
‘Live your life; life is too short!’ We were scared of the virus. We did everything in our power to keep you safe.’: ICU Nurse pens 2020 open letter to daughter, decorates early to bring ‘Christmas Spirit’
“One day, I’ll tell you about how, despite our fears, we secured our masks, wore our face shields, and fought alongside our patients and coworkers in the ICU and on the floor. There were days the anxiety and stress of fighting a virus we knew little about took the front seat. But we stood together, stood strong, and gave our all.”
‘If I can’t have sex with my partner, I’m not staying with them.’ It hurt to hear this from people who claimed to love me.’: Asexual woman shares journey to self acceptance, ‘We deserve the space to exist without question’
“At the party, someone prompted each of us to go around and share how we identified. ‘Gay, Bi, Lesbian, etc.,’ then it came to me. ‘Asexual.’ ‘Oh, you’re the one who’s asexual!’ another friend said. I exclaimed, ‘Yup!’ From there, I continued down the rabbit hole of what asexuality was.”
‘I collapsed in debilitating pain. My sister found me. The doctor said, ‘You’re fine!’ I cried in my mother’s arms.’: Woman battles Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ‘I found the courage to ask for help’
“I had horrendous pain in my legs, stomach, back, and neck. I started seeing black spots. ‘My body hates me!’ It was a relief to discover who I really am.”
‘If we’re meant to have a baby, God will make it happen.’ My calling wasn’t to carry the title ‘mom.’: Woman reflects on ‘childfree’ life, ‘This is the path we were called to’
“One morning, we got a surprising phone call. Our IVF date had been moved up, cutting out time in half. Saying no wasn’t easy, but I knew it was the right choice.”
‘Just turn the key,’ she said. I was flustered. ‘I don’t know how!’ I forgot how to tie shoes. I struggled seeing a future.’: College student with Acute Flaccid Myelitis now thriving, ‘I’m unlocking my independence’
“I learned how to tie my shoes at age 3, but I forgot how. I learned how to do a ponytail at age 7, but I forgot how. It’s odd seeing someone who can’t even turn a key at such an elite school.”
‘Mama, is our baby sick?’ They stuck a foot-long needle in my stomach. I just wanted it to be over.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘All we see is light and beauty’
“I announced, ‘I’m about to vomit.’ Then I was no longer talking because I had blacked out. ‘Patient is crashing and baby is unstable.’ They flipped me onto all fours. I couldn’t feel my body from the waist down.”
‘Ew, what are those?’ I was ashamed of myself. I constantly tried to hide my scars. What was I doing wrong?’: Woman shares struggles with keloid scars, ‘They’re my beauty marks’
“Right after brushing my teeth, I put on a bunch of toothpaste all over my face, chest, and back. I was a minty mess. I hid in high cut shirts and makeup. Anxiety became my best friend.”
‘Turn that light on and off 50 times so no one in your family dies.’ I’d freak out. I was fighting an internal battle every day.’: Mental health advocate details life with OCD, says ‘be kind to yourself’
“I’d have to wash my hands at least six times or I started believing somebody was going to die. I’d sit in my room and cry for hours. I felt watched and trapped in this space. At some point, I felt anxious even leaving my house.”