“I spent 3 days wide awake because I couldn’t stop hallucinating giant, juicy spiders crawling over me. I had to sleep with my feet in ice buckets. My skin felt like it was on fire. This was all ‘normal’ in the chemo world.”
‘A tumor had taken over my entire femur. ‘All signs are leading to cancer.’ They removed 60% of the muscle in my leg. It was torture’: Cancer survivor says, ‘I found the power to keep fighting’
‘Welcome to toddlerhood.’ She’d lose her voice from screaming and crying so long. I missed seeing her happy.’: Mom of daughter with Sensory Processing Disorder urges ‘you AREN’T crazy’
“She’d bang her head on the walls and bite her fingers until she broke skin. We left playdates early. ‘I’m getting concerned.’ More and more signs popped up. I KNEW this wasn’t typical toddler behavior.”
‘I can’t do it alone.’ Guilt rained down on me. My daughter clasped my hand. ‘I love you, Mommy.’ That was the moment I decided I deserved true love.’: Mom navigates life after divorce
“I found a tiny, one-bedroom apartment and we ate dinner with dollar store utensils. Our lawyers were mean. We were mean. I cried in the shower a lot. I wasn’t going back. I wasn’t going to feel guilty for showing my daughter what type of love she deserved too.”
‘There’s ALWAYS something wrong.’ I’d sleep for 14 hours and still be exhausted. My body was clearly trying to tell me something.’: Woman battles chronic illnesses, ‘I changed my perspective’
“I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’ I’d get home and sleep without being able to do basic things like chores. ‘It’s all in your head!’ My worst fear was looking weak.”
‘You put the kids before me.’ I didn’t realize I’d failed him, too. I truly assumed love would be enough.’: Mom of 3 discovers husband’s infidelity, goes on ‘journey to redefine our family’
“There were warning signs, but I thought we just needed time to find our groove. While he was away on a ‘business trip,’ he left his Sprint account open. It blew up in my face. I felt like I was failing my daughters.”
‘He has no chance of surviving.’ There was fluid around his heart, lungs, and brain. They didn’t believe the pregnancy was viable, but he was SO loved already.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome
“My husband and I always said we wouldn’t terminate a pregnancy. But then we were called into ‘the bad news room.’ They said, ‘There’s a chance of your baby having Down syndrome.’ We didn’t know if he would make it.”
‘There’s no way that crooked spine is mine.’ I had no idea what was wrong with my back. The pain took over my life.’: Scoliosis warrior diagnosed with chronic illnesses, ‘Listen to your body’
“My spine grew even more curved. He fused my entire spine with metal implants. I struggled to sit up. I couldn’t lift my water bottle or even my phone. Most days, I was too sick to do anything.”
‘If she wakes, she’ll never walk again.’ I began to hear subtle sounds. One morning, I tapped her hand. It felt like I’d snapped back into life.’: Woman shares journey with Meningitis, ‘I’m a walking testament of hope’
“It started with flu-like symptoms. Loss of appetite, fatigue, and body soreness. I went from feeling fine to almost immediately shut down. I lay down and never got back up. My mom sped past the waiting room, screaming, ‘Help!’ as I lay lifeless.”
‘I NEED to be the best advocate for my children. I KNOW I’m not the only mother going through this. Your feelings are VALID.’: Mom of boy with autism urges ‘compassion’ and self-care in motherhood
“I DREADED going out in public and the stares when my son would have a meltdown. I was doing everything I could.”
‘I’ve been drowning for so long.’ I washed my hands until they bled and cleaned obsessively. My brain played tricks on me.’: Nurse becomes mental health advocate, ‘You’re NOT alone’
“My family and friends told me, ‘Calm down. Everybody gets stressed.’ I watched my parents Lysol my whole car, shaking on the ground and unable to move. Being on the other side of healthcare as the patient everyone assumed was ‘crazy’ felt absolutely surreal.”
‘We found a baseball-sized cyst.’ It was 3 weeks before my wedding. I knew I still had more healing to do.’: Dietitian shares fertility journey, ‘There’s no shame in medication’
“I was exercising too much, eating too little, and really letting my blood sugar get out of control. I didn’t prioritize my health. It was the time to finally start digging into what was going on with me.”
‘I graduated to a full-time ‘bulimia babe.’ I wasn’t able to digest a cucumber. None of this is glamorous.’: Woman in eating disorder recovery urges ‘change the conversation about body image’
“When I’m on the edge of being sucked back in, I remember the bad times. Being in pain every time I ate. Not experiencing bowel movements for over a month. Eating so much it hurt to walk. I was scared to look in the mirror, to feel my body in the shower.”
‘She might not make it.’ No parent is prepared for those words. She was covered in so many wires, I couldn’t even see her face.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s our ray of sunshine’
“We didn’t hear a cry, and all we saw was a room full of doctors. I knew something was wrong. My heart sank. ‘What happened to my baby?’ Her diagnosis was secondary. We just wanted our baby to survive.”
‘It’s stage 4.’ What followed was brutal. My body was no longer my own and the pain was indescribable. I lost my identity.’: Cancer survivor births rainbow baby, ‘It was worth everything’
“I had to start chemo right away and didn’t have time to freeze my eggs. I was told, ‘Pregnancy might be difficult.’ I lost my long hair, my identity, and the life I had just grasped.”
‘I ran to my husband, crying over and over again, ‘I’m not broken!’ I remained hopeful everything was okay. The happiness didn’t last long.’: Couple welcomes rainbow baby, ‘We’re so thankful’
“For 6 years, I was told, ‘All you need to do to get pregnant is to lose weight.’ I was getting nowhere. We were hopeful, with a little extra help, we’d become parents, no matter what the journey may look like.”
‘You’re going to be a dad.’ He towered over me and the world stopped. I was ‘that girl’ at 18.’: Teen mom beats odds, creates beautiful family, ‘They became my happily ever after’
“‘Babies shouldn’t have babies!’ We were just 2 kids, living on minimum wage, trying to prove ourselves in a world which had already branded us failures.”
‘What did I do to deserve this?’ My heart sank and chills ran through my body.’: New mom births boy with Down syndrome
“‘It’s okay to grieve the child you thought you’d have.’ A HUGE weight was lifted off my shoulders.”
‘There’s a tumor around your spine.’ I was SO scared. ‘Have you tried wheelchair basketball? I was afraid to mess up.’: Wheelchair athlete inspires others, ‘I’m driven to be the best’
“I struggled to move my legs and had a persistent cough. ‘It’s her spine.’ I adapted in different ways to find my path.”
‘Everything is fine, but…’ I tensed up. I thought everyone was in as much pain as I was. I found myself alone with NO answers.’: Chronic illness warrior urges ‘NEVER give up on your health’
“Doctors told me, ‘It’s all in your head.’ I started to lose hope. I couldn’t even take a shower or wash my hair without help. I couldn’t swallow without difficulty and occasional choking. It started to sink in. My life will always be different than others.”
‘Something special was taken away from me.’ My entire world was flipped upside down. I felt like I’d been failed.’: Woman shares mental health journey, ‘Surrendering is the strongest thing I’ve done’
“I went manic and blacked out. I can still feel my dad holding me as tight as possible. I was tucked away in the back of trauma triage, a thick bandage wrapped around my wounds. I finally surrendered and the healing started.”
‘She won’t live. It’s VERY severe.’ Tumors were everywhere. Only 70 people in the WORLD have what I have.’: Woman with Juvenile Hyaline Fibromatosis shares journey, ‘Teach your kids not to fear differences’
“Kids spread rumors, saying ‘You smell bad!’ They told others not to talk to me. My teacher said, ‘You’ll never graduate anyway. What’s the point?’”
‘Have you lost your MIND?’ The thought of her lying alone was too much. There’s NO WAY we could take on 4 fragile kids.’: Couple pursues special needs adoptions, ‘We’d do it all again’
“People ask, ‘Why do you want a child who’s so sick?’ I don’t see their feeding tubes or medicines. I see THEM, and I love THEM. We went from being a boring couple to having 4 kids. We would learn ANYTHING for them.”
‘You need to go to the ER immediately.’ I felt like my body was failing me. I continued to hide my condition until I almost DIED.’: Ballerina with diabetes shares acceptance journey, ‘Keep fighting’
“I was training hard and eating healthy, but still gaining weight. My instructor told my mom I was ‘fat.’ Something in my body was wrong. A few months later, I’d be in the ICU fighting for my life.”
‘A baby was born yesterday. He may have been exposed to meth.’ There was no doubt in our minds. We turned around and ran to our baby.’: Couple shares adoption journey, ‘We’re meant to be’
“Our family thought we were CRAZY.’ ’You should NEVER adopt. You never know what those kids come with.’ We already had two kids with special needs, but we knew God would provide for us. It was love at first sight.”
‘I feel like a prisoner in my own body.’ I let the anxiety take over my life. I just KNEW it would end up killing me.’: Mom battles POTS and anxiety, ‘I’m not giving up anytime soon’
“I convinced myself I was dying. I worked myself into a panic attack. ’Why is this happening to me?’ It was brutal. I didn’t know how I was going to make it, but I knew I had to do it for my baby.”