Amanda Doulos is a digital editor for Love What Matters based in New York City. She will graduate from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of English Literature and Spanish in Spring 2023. She loves staying involved as vice president of the mock trial team and secretary of Spanish Honor Society. In her free time, she loves reading, traveling, and spending time with friends.
“I prayed for strength and posted the first picture. My phone began to go crazy with all of the likes, hearts, messages, congratulations, praises, and thank you’s from both women and men.”
“About 6 months into my pregnancy, I noticed a shift in my relationship with my husband. He came to me and told me he was unhappy. It rocked my world and for the first time in a long time, I dipped into a depression.”
“I was the ‘tomboy’ who always wanted to wear pants and pull my long hair back so I could hide it. I didn’t like the way my clothes fit my body. I grew up desperately trying to fit in and meet people’s standards.”
“Ableism is like everyone grew wings except you. They became so used to having wings they stopped building stairs and elevators. No one believes you can’t fly, so they refuse to accommodate — asking if you deserve it and complaining it’s too expensive.”
“I still could barely move. ‘What on earth was she thinking having a baby?’ None of it mattered to me. I was too busy in love with my little miracle.”
“’What if no one accepts our babies?’ Mark looked me right in the eye and said, ‘WE will accept our babies! We will love them just like we would any other baby, and Lyndi will love them both just as much. This is our little family. They will be perfect!’”
“I received my 11th concussion playing volleyball. Previously, I had 10 concussions from child abuse. My comorbidities and symptoms increased to the point I had to take mandatory bed rest.”
“My time in this role of ‘stepmom’ has healed my heart in ways therapy never could.”
“I want to show everyone newly diagnosed, there is life after cancer. It is possible to survive, regardless of a poor prognosis. Hold on to hope, believe in miracles, and look for things in life that make you happy.”
“Society has decided what I can and can’t do. Society has decided I am a fragile creature incapable of looking out for myself. We are yearning to be heard and understood. Instead of looking to us for inspiration, why not find ways to empower us?”
