“Halfway through my 12-hour shift, I began to feel very sick. ‘You need to sit down.’ I had a fever and my oxygen level was low. The next few weeks were a blur.”
‘I woke up with a tube down my throat. I couldn’t talk. On a piece of paper, I wrote, ‘I want my mom.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘faith can do wonders’
‘I felt incredibly optimistic, CERTAIN my old life would return. Boy, was I WRONG.’: Young woman battles Lyme Disease, turns to alternative medicine
“I was losing my vision, and could barely breathe. I spilled onto the platform packed with HUNDREDS of commuting New Yorkers.”
‘Am I going to throw up? Surprise! It’s s—t. There’s diarrhea all over. My husband is helping me with my hospital gown while simultaneously WIPING MY ASS.’: Mom hilariously recounts precipitous labor experience
“Doctor finally comes. ‘I NEED DRUGS! WHERE IS THE EPIDURAL MAN? TELL HIM I NEED HIM.’ I am screaming, begging, pleading. The doctor smiles at me while the nurses put an IV in my arm. They tell me they need to check to make sure my water broke. I spread my legs and they can already see my baby’s head. 7 centimeters dilated. F–k…me.”
‘The kid our school labeled ‘severely intellectually disabled’ just got an A in every class.’: Teen with nonverbal autism thrives after leaving exclusive public school
“17 years ago, I had no idea how much the world would overlook and underestimate my son. When I realized just how much harm public school was causing him, I pulled him out.”
‘I looked and felt like Wonder Woman. Then, I had two children.’: Former Olympian recounts journey with postpartum depression, body positivity
“Where did it all go WRONG?’ My body wasn’t my own and I was apathetic towards my amazing life.”
‘He built the American Dream with nothing but his own blood, sweat, and tears.’: Daughter pays it forward after selfless father passes away
“I can’t think of a better way to honor and remember a man whose entire life was dedicated to making life better for anyone he could.”
‘As if starting high school isn’t stressful enough, I had a condition which could KILL me.’: Woman details journey with Long QT syndrome, anxiety, depression
“Here I was with a life many people only DREAM of, yet I was feeling hopeless and numb.”
‘How is your house so clean with two kids?!’ They don’t realize the literal pain I feel inside when it’s not.’: Woman details navigating motherhood with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
“I’ve always needed things to be kept clean, in order, and put in just the ‘right’ place. I used to joke for years about having OCD. Then I got diagnosed a few months ago, and it wasn’t so funny anymore. It was a slap in the face.”
‘After six long months grieving the end of my 8-year relationship, I walked into a hotel bar. ‘Can I sit with you while I wait for a friend?’: Woman shares ‘whirlwind’ love story
“I walked in, independent and confident, scanning the tables, wondering who would be interesting to talk with. As my rational mind kicked in, I said to myself, ‘What are you doing here? Who goes to a bar alone?’ About to walk out, I noticed a table with three people. One small choice would change the course of my existence.”
‘You CHOSE to have him!’ It was as if he was a patient and not my own baby.’: Mom battling postpartum depression urges ‘you are worthy of help’
“’This is supposed to be the HAPPIEST time in your life!’ I can’t do this AGAIN. I felt forgotten.”
‘I loved you before them. But with them between us now, I love you even more. As a dad, your light shines even brighter.’: Mom shares ode to father of her children
“You have seen me at my worst, my weakest, my most challenging of moments and tiredness of years. Of pregnancies, of births, of postpartum. Yet you hold my hand even tighter.”
‘It felt like razor blades in my uterus. ‘I NEED pain medication!’ I thought I was going to throw up.’: Nonverbal woman with cerebral palsy shares journey with endometriosis
“‘This is not normal period pain.’ I stopped working, stopped going out, and stopped talking to anyone.”
Sweet Child, May We Forever Be Each Other’s Constant
“‘Mama, can you rest with me?’ She points to her chest and has me lay my head down. Oh, the sweet sound of her breath. Her soft hands gently stroking my hair as we lay in silence. Her hands comforting and soothing this restless heart of mine. One night, the air will be silent, only filled with a hug and a kiss goodnight.”
‘He popped my hip out with a simple tap of his finger. I believed I’d always live in pain.’: Chronic illness warrior ‘thankful’ for journey
“The doctor came in. ‘How many broken bones do you think you have?’ Then he laughed and said, ‘You’re completely fine.’ I doubted my own body, thinking my pain was all in my head.”
‘At 6 years old, I cried alone in a dressing room. ‘Why don’t they have bigger sizes?’: Woman recounts her journey to self-love
“I was the fat girl who hated herself. I’d wear hoodies with my sleeves pulled up in the scorching summers. I thought it was better to pass out from the heat than have someone see my ‘repulsive’ body.”
We Need Your Support, Even After The Newborn Phase Ends
“I’m still in postpartum clothes, stained and stretched. I’m still wearing my hair whichever way is easiest, messy and practical. I’m still anchored at home, under him and on top of nothing.”
‘I silently mouthed to my husband, ‘We have a little girl.’ At that moment, we became parents.’: Adoptive mom of 4 shares journey
“She asked us to be Elijah’s parents over a meal. I was scared but determined as I wrote my cell number down on a scrap piece of paper and pushed it across the wooden table.”
‘The doctor ruled it ‘a terrible, chance accident.’ We were alone as a little trio, together in this grief.’: Surrogate for LGBTQ couple experiences loss, ‘I want their dreams to come true’
“A week before their flight, the worst happened. ‘How am I going to tell them?’ I didn’t feel him moving.”
‘3 days postpartum, I looked at my husband. ‘I want to throw our son.’: Mom says ‘even through the fog of depression, I am worthy’
“I had a massive panic attack while feeding him. His latch pierced me with pain. I had nightly terrors one or both of us were left dead on the hospital table. My doctor asked, ‘How are you doing?’ I just cried.”
‘Two men should not father two little boys.’ It was a kick in the gut.’: Gay foster dads find ‘happy ending,’ adopt siblings
“’Are they trying to turn us off to being foster parents?’ My anxiety was through the roof. The judge made eye contact with us both. ‘Wow.’ We could not hold back our tears.”
‘How did we get here?’ After 12 years, we turned into unrecognizable strangers. I was 27, a mom to the sweetest boy, and getting divorced. This wasn’t the plan.’: Single mom takes the risk, meets ‘knight in shining armor’ on Tinder
“My friend encouraged me to make a dating profile. ‘Find 3 guys you feel a connection with, give 2 your number, and go on a date with 1… ‘ I found myself driving towards Applebee’s, my heart racing. I just wanted to get ‘this’ going or over with, then my phone rings. ‘Ashton – Cute Tinder Guy’ flashes across my phone screen. Time and my breathing stop.”
To The Daughter Waking Up Father’s Day Without Her Daddy
“He will be the last thing on your mind when you go to bed Saturday night, and the very first thing on your mind when you wake up Sunday morning.”
‘I’m so sorry. I can’t do this anymore, Chelsea.’ I didn’t know it would be his last Father’s Day.’: Woman mourning father declares ‘to grieve is to have felt love’
“I waited until I heard my dad come home to sleep. I took off his shoes after he passed out on the couch and put my finger under his nose to check his breathing. I learned to love his scent—grass, sweat, and booze.”
My Daughter Died After Ingesting A Household Button Battery–Here’s My Story
“Reese was snotty, stuffy, and not her usual self. The following day, we noticed a button battery missing in our home.”
‘They didn’t know if I’d ever wake up. The first thing I said was, ‘I can’t see. Everything is completely black.’: Woman navigates new normal with sight loss
“After my tonsils were removed, my mom woke me up to check on my throat and give me some water. I was completely unresponsive. They didn’t know if I’d be able to breathe, talk, walk, or think ever again.”