“I was married to my college sweetheart. We had 2.5 children, a beautiful home, even a white picket fence in the backyard. Unfortunately, that chapter of my story would come to an abrupt end.”
‘The water began to freeze and searching seized. A fisherman drilled his hole, dropped his camera, and landed on a foot – my husband’s foot. Andy was finally found.’
‘I had a possessed uterus. I’m not kidding. P-o-s-s-e-s-s-e-d. Test after test showed nothing. NOTHING.’: Widow shares how husband showed true patience and support
“My husband gently tried to convince me everything would be alright. After six or seven ‘let’s just go’ statements, with me standing at the door, arms crossed, shaking my head in defiance, he finally lost it. ‘Will somebody just get this woman a tampon and a cracker?’”
‘What does a baby’s heart look like at 18 weeks?’ I knew something was wrong. But Tad’s father continued to say, ‘Don’t worry until we have to.’ So I tried my best not to.’
“‘He is sitting Buddha style facing away from me, so I cannot not get a good look.’ I remember watching him confirm the gender, check fingers and toes, but kept going back. He told us ‘not to worry.’ I left that appointment wanting to share the great news of, ‘we’re having a baby boy,’ but it was a double-edged sword.”
‘For a long-time people have said, ‘Your wife is very lucky to have you’ or ‘I hope I find a man who treats me like that.’ It really irks me.’: Husband says it’s not about luck but about not settling
“Truth be told, it really irks me.”
‘Excuse me, what? I looked at the screen and saw my ovaries with a ‘pearl necklace’ looking shape on the outer edge. Are you sure?’
“I’m in my early 30’s and have everything I need to start a family; This has got to be a misunderstanding.”
‘With tears welling up, I muttered, ‘But why does it hurt so much when I eat?’ Nobody could answer me.’: Woman diagnosed with MALS after 5 years of pain, ‘My journey is something to be celebrated’
“I was crying in pain after just a few bites of food. They ran test after test, but not a single one gave us any answers. ‘We have diagnosed you with Anorexia Nervosa. Your head is messing with you.’ I started to doubt my intuition and wonder if maybe this pain was my fault.”
You Say ‘Dance Mom’ Like It’s A Bad Thing
“I couldn’t feel more grateful for what the art of dance has done for my daughter.”
‘It was the call! I ran into my sister’s room, swung the door open. I was joyfully yelling, ‘I got the call, I got the call!’ She thought there was a fire. ‘Whats going on?!?’
“I had no idea what day it was, or what had happened. My throat was sore and dry. I hadn’t moved at all once I woke up. Everything was dim and looked blurry. I could hear someone near approach. I managed to get out a croaky, ‘Did I get them?’”
‘I wasn’t the stereotypical addict on the streets with no teeth, begging for money. I had children. I was functioning. I’d get up, eat, go to the gym. Then, I’d go on a bender for days.’
“I’d do whatever I could to distract myself from the fact that I felt alone. I always wanted to stop, but I didn’t know how. People around me knew, but never said anything. It made me feel like it was okay. I didn’t realize I needed to change until I lost my children. I decided if I couldn’t beat this and see my kids again, I’d kill myself.”
‘No nursing home for us! We’ll be checking into a Holiday Inn! At the Holiday Inn, long term stay and senior discount is $59.23 per night.’: Woman shares genius senior plan, ‘When I reach that golden age, I’ll face it with a grin’
“Breakfast is included, and happy hours in the afternoon. Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap. The grand-kids can use the pool. What more could I ask for?”
‘You’re a single guy… why don’t you try TINDER?’ I literally laughed out loud. ‘What’s that!?’: Man discovers love of his life on Tinder
“I took his advice and downloaded the app in hopes of finding someone I could have genuine conversations with. I was looking to build a friendship before becoming romantically involved. Eventually, I came across the profile of a beautiful angel wearing a Mets jersey.”
‘With no emotion he told us, ‘Ryder will forever be a vegetable and drool all over himself.’ Then he got up and left the room. All I saw was tunnel vision. We knew it wasn’t right.’
“Driving down the road, my ears started ringing. With the big lump in my throat I let out a few tears, pulled myself together, and prayed. I felt as if I was getting struck by lightning once again. So many rare things have happened to our family.”
‘Why should I be surprised he sought the company of other women? There were times I prayed he would hit me. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT.’
“Those 10 years destroyed my core. They broke me into a million pieces. Those 10 years implanted insecurities that never existed before.”
‘His phone rang. It was my mom in hysterics. My dad wasn’t breathing, and paramedics were doing CPR. Through all the emotional abuse, I was still a ‘Daddy’s Girl.’
“I was happier than I’d ever been. My dad was happy and healthy, I was getting married, and my dad talked about walking me down the aisle. My heart starts racing, and that night rushes back to me.”
‘I asked to borrow his Walkman. ‘Sure.’ My brother was breathing heavy in my ear. I froze. He told me not to tell.’: Assault survivor shares emotional journey to peace
“It began out of nowhere. I was frozen, unsure of what was happening. He told me not to tell. I knew something wasn’t right but he was my older brother, so I did what he said. Until one day, we heard my uncle’s car pull into the driveway. As he quickly opened the quickly, my brother rushed to get off of me. ‘What’s going on?!’ My stomach was in knots.”
‘Thank you my grandfather, who sexually abused me for years. You taught me how to protect my children. You taught me the good and bad in the world. That bad exists, but it never wins.’
“Thank you my ex-boyfriend, who cheated and treated me like I was never good enough or thin enough. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never known my true worth, and that I would never tolerate being treated that way again.”
‘Come back in a year. Go home and enjoy your life. If things haven’t worked themselves out, we can talk again.’ I walked out of that room confused, angry, mortified, and embarrassed.’
“After telling her my story and the results of the previous appointment, she was in shock. ‘This is NOT normal, there must be something wrong.’ This made Aaron and I uneasy yet comforted all at the same time.”
‘Just you wait,’ they say with a knowing smirk, ‘life with a baby is exhausting.’ I’m here to tell you that life without the baby is exhausting too.’
“When you return home empty handed, you also face sleepless nights. You will be exhausted, but you find it hard to sleep. You know that waking up means living in a nightmare.”
‘He had ‘no idea’. I waddled up the driveway with terror of dropping my insides out on the cement.’: Woman recounts emotional miscarriage, ‘My husband was pale, quiet’
“I looked in every bloodied towel, piece of clothing, and bathroom for a sign of a precious life to bury. I whispered to myself, ‘Why are you doing this?’ In a fog of confusion, I quietly sobbed.”
‘The doctor handed me a bunch of pamphlets and spoke the words, ‘We feel this fetus is not compatible with life.’: Mom chooses to birth baby who now ‘very much LIVES LIFE’
“I stopped her right there. ‘I don’t care what this baby has or doesn’t have, I WILL be delivering this baby.”
‘On my honeymoon, I had an ‘is this it?’ moment. Your mind says that’s crazy. You’re crazy. I don’t see another way to escape this rabbit hole.’
“Friends, don’t say, ‘If you need anything let me know.’ We won’t. We won’t tell you. We never want to be a burden.”
‘He had the neighbor watching me. ‘Bet you weren’t even raped.’ ‘Were you drinking?’ No one knew who he really was. I never thought these were red flags.’
“I found out he had been cheating on me. He convinced me it didn’t really happen and he went back to being the perfect guy. I couldn’t escape. I pushed on his chest and said, ‘No, I don’t want to.'”
‘You can’t leave me until we’re married.’ I ran to the jewelry store for a ring. I told her she was my life. She smiled as she looked up.’: Man marries ‘best friend’ 19 hours before she passed away
“When I spoke to the chaplain, he advised me his schedule was open until the 16th. My response was, ‘I was thinking tonight at 7:30.’”
‘I went to the bathroom 10-12 times a day. Each time, I sat crying and begging for it to be over. Then, the last straw. My bottom ripped open after a 2-week recovery.’: Woman’s journey with Crohn’s and perianal disease
“As I opened my eyes, I could see the blank white ceiling, hear the sound of alarms going off, and feel the indescribable pain spread across my body. The surgery was successful, but did that mean I was okay?”
‘By age 9, I had thoughts about my own funeral. I wondered who would attend. Mom would find my Barbie dolls with notes like, ‘I want to die.’ Not at all normal for a child to be saying.’
“I remember telling my parents, ‘I love my life.’ That would soon change.‘ I lost the majority of my friends due to bullying. ‘I couldn’t even kill myself. I’m a failure.’”