“My phone glows. ‘Hey, can we talk?’ My friend’s eyes are red, puffy. Suddenly, I feel like crying, too. I think she’s going to tell me she’s pregnant. It’s much worse. ‘I’ve been raped.’ Inside, I’m screaming, ‘Tell her you’re a victim, too!’ But I don’t. I mean, am I REALLY one ? Sure, I said ‘no’ and lay there, emotionless. I didn’t want to. He knew that. But technically, I said ‘fine.’ So, am I victim? The answer is yes.”
‘Don’t be a prude!’ He grabs my waist. I say ‘no’ 12 times. He wipes my tears. They’re ‘not sexy.’ I give in. ‘Fine.’: Woman finally calls sexual abuse ‘what it is,’ says consent must be ‘enthusiastic, genuine’
‘Take your son and I’ll find you, trust me, I’ll find you.’ He held a gun to me while pregnant.’: Mom learns ‘self-defense’ as black belt after ‘surviving’ domestic abuse, urges women to know there is ‘a better life’
“Then came my escape. It was tricky, but I planned it well. My father was dying of brain cancer, and my husband had beaten me for going to my father’s funeral. It was time. I finally had a chance to escape with my child. You are worth fighting for. I need to let others know – there is an escape, a better life.”
‘We nicknamed her Chucky, from the horror films!’ Her hair got crazier, bigger. Wiry, matted, like it was crimped.’: Mom shocked by daughter’s ‘wool-like matted mess’ blonde hair, learns of rare ‘Uncombable Hair Syndrome’ diagnosis
“She was born with a head of thick, jet black, fluffy hair! But overnight, her hair came through poker straight, and pure white-blonde. She looked like a newborn, fluffy chick! Her hair looked full of static, wiry, like sheep’s wool. Slowly, it became worse. Hard to control. It got bigger, wilder as she grew, painful to brush. A lady mentioned it, but to be honest, I thought nothing of it. Then I realized it might be a problem.”
‘I’d cash my check for thousands, cry-jerk alone in bed, hop in my Rolls-Royce, and pretend it never happened.’: 26-year-old woman ditches deceivingly ‘glamorous’ lifestyle, now living life ‘truly, unapologetically’
“I was making 6 figures, had 3 cars. My ‘friends’ would come for parties in my huge house. But the second I was blackout drunk, not a single soul noticed or cared to ask where I was. In my OWN house. I’d wake in the bathroom, wipe off the vomit, then scroll through photos of me looking perfect, side by side girls with shots in hand, with captions like, ‘best friends forever.’ It literally made me sick.”
‘He has what? Will he walk? Talk?’ I mourned the life we were supposed to have.’: Mom gave up on ‘life she imagined’ as son battles undiagnosed genetic disorder, eye condition
“The more severe cases pass away by the age of 1. ‘What? Pass away? Not my child.’ I was devastated I wasn’t going to have the life I imagined. But there is such power in accepting this new life.”
Dear Mom: No Matter How Old I Get, I’ll Never Stop Needing You
“All the times you told me how much you loved me growing up, I never fully realized the magnitude of those words. Until I had children of my own. Mom, I’ll never stop needing to hear your voice when I call. I’ll never stop needing you to hug me and pat my hair like you did when I was little, or your advice and wisdom. The way you step in to help when I’m drowning. Thank you for everything you do.”
‘Will is gay! Mom, I’m the first person to know!’ I immediately got nervous for him.’: 12-year-old gay son comes out, celebrated with epic outpouring of support from ‘Pride Tribe’
“My 12-year-old daughter appeared in the kitchen after school. She started a conversation the same way she always does – ‘MOM! Guess what?!,’ except this time it wasn’t followed with, ‘Kate likes so-and-so’ or ‘Mrs. O gave us so much homework!’ This time, her face lit up. ‘He told me first!’ I was happy her friend had confided in her, but I was scared for Will. I asked if he’d told his parents yet. The answer was ‘No.’”
Check On Your ‘Strong’ Friend, She’s Faking It
“I’m the strong friend. I meet you for drinks when you’re facing disaster. I bring you dinner, flowers. I’m your sounding board. But you forgot to check on me. You ask me where I’ve been, you say I seem ‘off’ and that you miss my posts. You know what I heard? ‘Why aren’t you playing the role I need you to play?’ But I can’t play that role in life right now. I don’t have it in me.”
‘I can’t believe this is happening again.’ He held our daughter, tears down his cheeks. I knew deep in my soul.’: Wife says ‘It was the honor of my life to be married to him’ after husband dies of cancer
“Nick wasn’t ready to let go. His body was a 93-pound shell. Our daughter’s 6th birthday came. I pleaded with him to please try for her. To give her that day. He played games, he sang happy birthday, despite all his suffering. Less than a week later, I came home to find him nearly unconscious on the couch. I told him it was okay to let go. I asked if he was scared. He said, ‘no.’”
‘I grabbed the phone and called 911. ‘He’s not breathing, my husband isn’t breathing!’: Woman recounts losing husband, blaming herself amid arguing, CPAP machine
“I hear him snoring from upstairs and think to myself ‘Crap, he pulled his mask off, I should go put it back on.’ I didn’t though because I have to fully wake him up to do so. He had sleep apnea and used a CPAP machine, pulling it off was a common occurrence. I went upstairs about 20-25 minutes later. Before I got to the room, it felt off.”