“I took on the role of a wife. I catered to him, cooked, cleaned, took care of my children, and took care of myself IF I had time.”
‘He kept trying to make me kiss him. I did it so he’d leave me alone.’: Woman escapes domestic abuse, ‘I strive to empower other women’
‘This moment will stick with me forever. She became REAL to me.’: Father to daughter born with limb difference creates fictional world ‘aiming to accurately represent disability’
“I wanted to fulfill the promise I made to my daughter. I wanted HER to be the hero.”
‘How can a BLIND guy go to the cinema?’ The choice to use a cane is a HUGE step.’: Man with Retinitis Pigmentosa raises awareness for sight loss
“I’ve had people question everything I do, putting barriers in front of me, assuming I’m incapable of doing something a typical person can do.”
‘When I held that precious bundle to my chest, I waited for that awe-filled moment. Instead, I felt relief.’: Mom after infertility says ‘motherhood is tough but so are you’
“We’re told, over and over again, to avoid accidental pregnancies. ‘It only takes one time!’ But for us, that wasn’t the case.”
‘The doctor entered the room, crying. ‘We found masses all over.’: Woman diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma wants to ‘change the way the world sees cancer’
“The oncologist described it as the ‘good cancer.’ Then in the same breath, he said I had 7 months to live. It didn’t seem very ‘good’ to me.”
‘Dad’s not waking up.’ I saw him lying in bed, blood coming from one nostril.’: Woman raises awareness for intergenerational trauma
“I went to grab his shoulders to shake him awake, but my hand touched something hard. It took a second for my eyes to make out what I was holding. It was the handgun.”
‘Drowning accidents can happen to ANYONE.’: Mom gives water safety tips as summer approaches
“Many times these tragic accidents happen during ‘non-swimming’ times. My intent is not to give anxiety, but to bring AWARENESS.”
‘For the girls, it was just hanging a flag. For me, I was taking a stand.’: Dads hang pride flag on their house for the first time ever
“I’m owning who we are.”
‘Sorry to disappoint, but we were adopted.’ He was disgusted. I felt like a possession, not a person.’: Adoptee shares difficult childhood, fosters and adopts daughter
“Serenity was vulnerable and scared, and I could see she personified me and my childhood. I was bound and determined to change and make things better for her.”
‘If my child starts to yell or act up, it’s not because we don’t know how to discipline.’: Mom shares important plea for grace, ‘Some disabilities are hidden in plain sight’
“Next time you see a child and they seem off, you’re intuition is probably correct. Give that child a warm smile, and extend it to their mom or dad, who is probably nearby and holding their breath. Because 99% of their energy goes into what you don’t see.”
‘She’s out of CONTROL.’ Mom refused to take me to the hospital, despite being covered in blood.’: Autistic woman learns self acceptance after years of abuse
“By the time I was 10, I’d been banned from swimming lessons, a children’s club, and multiple play groups. They told my dad to bring me back once I could ‘behave like other girls.’”
‘You didn’t develop ANY antibodies.’ The light at the end of the tunnel shut off.’: Lupus warrior not helped by vaccine, ‘I took for granted how easy it was to live my life’
“‘You could get hit by a bus just walking out of your house!’ The fears which loom in my mind are hard for others to understand. Restrictions are being eased, but I can’t just ease away MY restrictions.”
Teen Girls—Remember Beauty Comes From The Inside
“’You are so beautiful, baby girl, and I hope you never stop believing it. And I hope you never let anyone tell you differently.’”
‘I had a huge fear of public speaking, until I turned 30.’: Man overcomes social anxiety, depression to pursue stand-up comedian dreams
“I agreed to a small part, but I ended up doing 12 episodes across two seasons. For the first time, I felt like I had a voice.”
‘She helps me see hope in the chaos. She silently encourages me to be my true self. She reminds me I am worthy of love.’: Woman learns to embrace authentic self ‘without judgement’
“Here’s the thing, you ALL have a friend inside you who is just like her. Maybe it’s time to let her shine, too.”
‘You’re a girl, right?’ My 8-year-old son asked her if she was homeless. Our kids are not the problem.’: LGBTQ mom shares love story, urges acceptance for same-sex parents
“’Baby, do you mind if my ex and his family move in?’ My family wondered if she was ready to be the mom of 2 special-needs children. Did she really understand what she was signing up for?”
‘My daughter was a bottle of pills away from giving up.’: Mom proudly embraces LGBT daughter
“While others may see a rebellious and misguided sinner, I see a 24-year-old woman who knows how to love and forgive like Jesus.”
Next Time You Walk Into A Room And Panic About Someone There Not Liking You, Remember This Secret: It Doesn’t Matter
“People who don’t get you. People who roll their eyes when you start speaking. People who ignore you when you walk into a room. People who won’t make room for you at their table. It doesn’t matter. Not even a little. You aren’t here in this life to make everyone happy.”
‘What if I’m a boy?’ I felt a tremble shoot down my spine. The thought was petrifying… because it was the truth.’: Transgender man says ‘it takes courage to be who you are’
“When I woke up after surgery, my chest felt tight. When I looked down, I immediately began to cry as I noticed my flat chest. ‘You made it.’ For the first time, I felt like I was living my life for me.”
‘My 3-year-old’s teacher said, ‘Next week we’re working on F-A-T-H-E-R-S (yes, she spelled it out) day projects. What do you want me to do with her?’: Single mom pens open letter to co-parents
“Abandoned in utero, the concept of a father is very sadly not part of her world. The choice for life to be this way was not mine nor hers. But she is loved beyond words.”
‘Look, the weird kid is back.’ They talked about him as if he was an exhibit at the zoo.’: Mom to son with Goldenhar syndrome says ‘we are more alike than we are different’
“They didn’t know in his first 2 months of life, he came close to death so many times. They didn’t see me standing outside his hospital room, frozen as the medical team performed chest compressions. They knew he was different. They just didn’t know why.”
‘She’d set a bowl of fat-free yogurt in front of me, hand my sister ice cream. ‘No one wants a fat daughter.’: Woman details battle with binge eating disorder, depression
“When my mom and siblings were asleep, I shoveled crackers in my mouth in the bathroom. I ate snack cakes on the kitchen floor. Food didn’t care I was depressed and anxious.”
‘We are the ones up all night with worry while our partners deep sleep beside us. Worst-case scenarios replay from the moment we hear, ‘Get ready, here he comes!’: Mom urges ‘let’s stick up for anxious parents’
“We worry before each doctor’s appointment. We worry when he’s up too high where we can’t see him at the park. We worry we aren’t signing her up for enough activities to help find her passions. And the worry will never stop. It will only increase as they grow older.”
‘The doctor would like to meet you in person.’ My legs shook uncontrollably. I knew.’: Woman ‘freshly diagnosed’ with thyroid cancer urges ‘love matters most of all’
“I sat in the doctor’s office and watched as each person passed me. I wondered who else might be awaiting life-altering news. I vowed no matter where life took me, it would never take me away from love.”
‘People will think you have cancer if you wear a headscarf.’ I lost half my hair in 3 months.’: Woman with alopecia embraces baldness
“There was hair on my pillow. I had to unclog the shower after each use. I’d be cooking and just see hair fall to the counter. I took the plunge.”