“I practiced 2 hours the day before, but when I got to class I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I ran out of the classroom and cried. I HAD to acknowledge my pain.”
‘I was accepted into Juilliard. I’d worked SO hard, and suddenly I couldn’t even do what I was there to do. I was forced to STOP.’: Musician details struggle with connective tissue disease, ‘My health became priority’
‘You’re just an attention-seeker!’ Kids pushed me. ‘I can’t carry on.’ I felt hopeless.’: Woman with Borderline Personality Disorder finds self-love, ‘I’m capable of amazing things’
“‘It’s just a teenage phase, she’ll grow out of it,’ doctors said. I didn’t see a future for myself. I was just a label.”
‘We want YOU as our parents!’ It was the last time we heard from them for 14 months. We fell in love with all 5.’: Family adopts internationally, ‘Our forever is almost in sight’
“My husband said, ‘They want you.’ When I rounded the corner, they all started yelling, ‘Mama!!! Mama, come here!’ They made a conscious CHOICE to call me ‘mama.’ I will always cherish this.”
‘The funeral paper you read? It’s about your mom.’ This is how I found out at age 9. No one asked me how I felt.’: Daughter pens letter to late mom lost to cancer, ‘We heal by lifting others’
“I learned of mom’s death by coincidence after reading her name on a funeral paper. I asked several times, ‘Is it true?’ I wasn’t allowed to express my feelings.”
‘I was IMMEDIATELY sent to conversion therapy and a ‘sexual-healing’ facility. I had to blend in with ‘good Christian folk.’: Trans person finds their identity, ‘Living authentically gives me freedom’
“After discovering our relationship, her parents locked her inside her home, got her fired from her job, removed all access to any phones, internet, or car. My parents saw my actions as sinful, and deserving of punishment.”
‘You are on the highest legal dose, but let’s increase anyway.’ I was trapped.’: Health coach overcomes OCD, anxiety, ‘It taught me how to treat my body properly’
“Growing up, I had a very typical, easy going childhood. I had great friends, a loving family, I enjoyed school, was active and involved in sports and activities, and overall was just a happy, content kid. This all drastically changed in February 2004. When I was 8 years old, I woke up in the middle …
‘I was 19, pregnant. ‘Your baby is missing arms and legs. I’m only seeing 2 toes and a partial foot.’ I thought it was some cruel joke.’: Teen mom births baby with phocomelia, ‘He beat all the odds’
“Evan was whisked away immediately after birth. My stepmother grabbed my mother and left the room. Both were visibly shaken. I overheard them in the hall: ‘You’ve got to get it together. They need us now more than ever!’ The doctor entered. ‘Ms. Sanchez, there is a problem. Your son’s spine is severely twisted and growing out of the side of his back. If this continues, it will pull his ribcage into his heart and kill him.’ I was devastated.”
‘I was lying in bed, feeling extreme anxiety about a noise I heard, when it hit me like a ton of bricks. ‘I HAVE IT, TOO.’: Mom learns she’s lived 34 years with Sensory Processing Disorder after daughter’s diagnosis
“Growing up, I often felt a lot of anxiety. I would undress immediately after putting on clothes. I couldn’t stand the feeling of my brothers sitting next to me. I would desperately put my hands beside my thighs to get relief if their legs pressed against mine. I want to help the little girl inside of me who spent 34 years feeling there was ‘wrong’ with her. I want to hug her and tell her it’s not her fault.”
‘My job title and daily duties may have changed, but I’m still in the business of nurturing the people I love.’: Mom details emotional transition from mother to grandma
“While out walking the dog on Saturday morning, just days after my last daughter left the nest, I got a call from my oldest child. ‘He’s here. He’s been born!’ In the span of just 24 hours, I was forcibly retired from the only job I’d ever wanted, and thrust into a role I had no idea how to do.”
‘He is 1 in 6 billion.’ I clenched my husband’s hand in disbelief, tears welling in my eyes.’: Mom praises medically complex son, ‘He is our little heart warrior’
“He was lifeless and pale. The clock was ticking. All we could do was pray and hold his little hand. Sitting beside his hospital bed, 3 genetic doctors in white coats rushed in. ‘Can we go to a private room to talk?’ I walked down the hallway in a fog. ‘We were wrong. It’s severe. He will never live independently on his own.’ Soon after, he had a stroke and began seizing up. This was the worst-case scenario. It was really happening.”