“I didn’t know what or how to feel. ‘I’m numb.’ The word ‘death’ was written under risk factors. Signing the consent form was the scariest thing I’d ever done. It was basically signing away your child to your worst fear.”
‘Are you sure about having this baby?’ He was as blue as a Smurf. I walked down the corridor, empty, without my baby.’: Mom shares son’s journey with congenital heart defect, ‘It made me who I am’
‘Ali, you’re adopted and we love you.’ Fear of abandonment poured through my veins. I was walking on eggshells.’: Adoptee shares self love journey, ‘I had to surrender and trust’
“After an 8 hour surgery, I woke up with a peace sign shaped scar across my entire abdomen. Half my liver and my gall bladder were removed. ‘You are one in 200 cases in the world.’ That surgery gifted me a greater perspective on life. I no longer fear death.”
‘90% of your kidneys are scarred.’ I was terrified and in denial. Somehow, my body had betrayed me.’: Man details journey with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Failure, ‘I am a fighter’
“All I could think of was how miserable my uncle was on dialysis. He plugged himself in every night for 8 hours while a machine cleaned his blood. ‘I won’t do dialysis and just let myself die.’ 15 years later, here I am.”
‘If I don’t make it, I love you.’ I thought I was going to die. My body was shouting at me to get those things out.’: Woman details Breast Implant Illness, ‘They’re a ticking time bomb’
“I couldn’t feel the entire right side of my face, swallow, or speak. I thought I was having a stroke. I left my husband a goodbye letter. I didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
‘This won’t be easy.’ I felt robbed of pregnancy innocence. We fought so hard for our son. We weren’t prepared for what we were about to face.’: Woman shares IVF journey, ‘I won’t give up’
“We didn’t ask many questions, just signed on the dotted line. I felt helpless. I could see my baby moving around on the screen, but I couldn’t help him.”
‘The baby started screaming and I snapped. I hurled my coffee mug at the floor. It was the wakeup call I needed.’: Mom shares journey with postpartum anxiety, ‘We’re just trying our best’
“I bought a Doppler I used every day to make sure I could still hear a heartbeat. It should’ve been crystal clear I wasn’t okay. I spent hours Googling, ‘How to get your baby to sleep.’ I felt like I had to ‘prove’ I was a good mom.”
‘I hadn’t heard from him all day. ‘ARE YOU ALIVE?’ I started to panic. I never thought it would happen to me.’: Widow finds hope after losing husband, ‘Live as if today is YOUR last day’
“Our love story was a modern-day version of ‘The Notebook.’ When our eyes met, it was a full-blown fireworks extravaganza. His co-worker called me, crying. ‘He’s gone. Mose is gone.’ They handed me his wedding ring and wallet. It was real. The nightmare was happening to ME.”
‘A feeling came over me. ‘You’ll be the one to do this.’ My new purpose was to give my dad what he gave me—life.’: Man donates kidney to dad during pandemic, ‘Family is everything’
“My mom told us, ‘Dad needs help.’ There was a sense of urgency. I took the first steps to donate my kidney. The tests showed we were a match. Then I started feeling a slight tickle in my throat.”
‘That’s the best kind of cancer to have.’ I wasn’t worthy of calling myself a cancer survivor. I felt myself shrinking.’: Woman raises awareness for Melanoma, ‘My journey is valid’
“A vegan blamed me for having cancer because I eat meat. Someone told me, ‘Anyone who wears sunscreen deserves to get cancer.’ People will say YOU are the cause of your own cancer.”
‘This is a perfectly safe option.’ I LOVED how I looked. Then they tried to kill me. I couldn’t get them out of my body fast enough.’: Mom beats Breast Implant Illness, ‘This could SAVE your life’
“I struggled with loving my post-baby body. ‘Things’ seemed to have ‘deflated’ and headed south, if you know what I mean. I thought implants were ‘perfectly safe.’ What could go wrong?”