“The car spun and hit a tree. I was unconscious upon impact. My mom was calling my name with no response. I was in a coma for a week, with a bolt in my head.”
‘I hit a patch of black ice and lost control. ‘We can’t get her out!’ They cut my seatbelt off, but my legs were stuck.’: Woman survives car accident, traumatic brain injury, ‘I’ve come SO far’
‘What’s wrong with my baby?’ Her head was measuring large and her femurs were small. We were in denial this could happen to us.’: New mom births baby with dwarfism, ‘It DOESN’T define her’
“Everything had gone so wrong. ‘Did I eat something I shouldn’t have? Get exposed to something harmful?’ What was supposed to be the happiest part of our lives had turned into a nightmare.”
‘I begged for a miscarriage. ‘I don’t want this. I’m not going to be good at this.’ I was in SUCH a dark place.’: New mom shares pregnancy acceptance journey, ‘It’s okay if it feels scary’
“I peed on that little stick. ‘One line…. phew. Oh, wait, another line is forming. Holy smokes, that line is AGGRESSIVELY dark. Can these things be wrong?’ Immediately, I just started sobbing.”
‘Your best course of action is IVF.’ Surely this wasn’t real. I didn’t know anyone who had gone through this. We told everyone.’: Couple advocates for infertility awareness, ‘I never lost hope’
“I cried so much. Why would people put themselves through this? Hope. Desperation. Longing. I realized this wasn’t something people wanted to share or talk about. Surely I wasn’t the only person going through this?”
‘Am I going to die?’ I woke to strands of hair on my pillow. My heart sunk. ‘I’m going to be bald.’ I lost my hair a week before prom.’: Teenager shares cancer journey, ‘It opened my eyes’
“I felt isolated from my friends. They viewed me as being fragile, but I was the same person as before. This shattered me. No matter what I did, I was always viewed as the cancer girl.”
‘You’ll never be able to write or even wear a ring.’ I’d pull my sleeves over my hands. I wanted to be ‘normal.’: Limb difference advocate shares her journey, ‘Celebrate your differences’
“I was convinced I’d be judged based on my hands and feet. I made every effort to conceal my hands. I’d wear a cardigan to hide my scars. I wanted as little attention drawn to me as possible.”
‘There’s a mass behind her nose.’ Her runny nose became blood-tinged. She could barely hold her head up. I knew it was bad.’: Mom details daughter’s cancer journey, ‘Never give up hope’
“They looked up her nose. Something was there. I had a knot in my stomach before he even spoke. My mind flashed back to a Google search I had done that fit her symptoms. Cancer.”
‘You have lesions in your eye.’ I ran out, crying hysterically. I thought I was going to die.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis advocates for invisible illnesses, ‘Be proud of who you are’
“I told my boyfriend to wait in the car. ‘I just need some eye drops.’ My vision was off. ‘We need to send you for an MRI.’ I stood there, thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?’ I was going blind in my left eye.”
‘I can’t raise a child. I can’t even take care of myself!’ I had nothing left to live for. Or so I thought.’: Woman recovers from addiction for daughter, ‘All it took was a tiny shimmer of hope’
“Self-medication was the only thing keeping me alive. I sat outside, chain-smoking and chugging a bottle of wine. ’My boyfriend is an addict and I can’t get sober.’ I was never supposed to get pregnant.”
‘Sometimes it’s hard to find.’ She placed the wand on my belly and shook her head. My heart sunk.’: Mom welcomes rainbow baby after loss of son, ‘He’ll always be her guardian angel’
“I was confused. None of this made sense. He was just alive and well at my last check-up a few days ago. Not only that, but he was perfect. I held on to hope my story wasn’t over.”