“I set the girls’ folders next to folders with their friends’ names — friends they haven’t seen in weeks. I finally let some tears fall over the loss of this. For them. For their teachers. For this school I love so much.”
‘I just dropped off homework next to an empty parking lot and quiet sidewalks. I finally let some tears fall over the loss of this.’: Former teacher says ‘when you hear teachers say they miss their students, they really really do’
‘He used to sleep with his mouth wide open every night and wake up angry. I was told, ‘Oh no, that’s normal. Maybe his nose is blocked.’: After noticing her son’s sleep issues mom says ‘trust your gut’
“He snored like a little truck and had horrible sleep. He would always fall asleep in the early afternoons. Till one day I said to a doctor, ‘I’m not leaving here until you give me a referral to see a specialist.’ My gut was right.”
‘I want to be home with my children. I want to bathe them, cuddle them, and kiss them, but I can’t. Not until this ends.’: Nurse urges ‘don’t wait for someone you love to get infected before you act’
“I am a frontline worker for the hospital. This is how I will see my partner, my daughter, and my two sons for the next few months, through a window for a few minutes a day. This has been the hardest decision I have ever had to make.”
‘I had to wear adult diapers. ‘Do you realize how stupid you look?’ He was mimicking my tics in front of the class.’: Young woman with Tourette’s Syndrome finally finds help, ‘I got my quality of life back’
“I felt stupid because no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t stop. I would spend an hour straightening my shoes, trying to get them ‘just right.’ My dad had to sleep on the floor next to my bed and I had to wear adult diapers. I was left with my self-esteem in shatters. I believed I was a naughty kid.”
’I am home fighting a battle. I am considered non-essential and furloughed from my job. The fear is real.’: Mom out of work during Coronavirus quarantine, ‘‘right now, I need to focus on things I am grateful for’
“I have been given the gift of time amidst all this and I need to appreciate it, embrace it and be thankful, even when I’m scared. I wondered what it would be like to give 100% of myself to just my family. An opportunity that seemed so unrealistic… until suddenly, it wasn’t.”
‘Please, make it stop. Don’t take my baby from me!’ The 16 minute helicopter ride felt like an eternity.’: Mom has child with Sturge-Weber Syndrome, ‘I am so honored to be his mom’
“Shortly after the move, our worst nightmare came true. In the car, I noticed he was acting weird. My son was placed on a stretcher with a neck brace, while screaming and crying like I’d never seen him before. I was helpless and hysterical.”
‘Look at you, puttin’ on lipstick to go to the cemetery,’ my husband teased, whistling at me. I didn’t plan to see a living soul there.’: Woman realizes during quarantine, ‘Fear is no match for God’s love’
“I hadn’t left our property for over a week. I applied a full face of makeup to go for a walk in the cemetery. I didn’t plan to see a living soul there. My heart leapt! There it was. It felt like genuine joy. For many, it will be life changing. And it’s so scary.”
‘Bring me breakfast in the morning if we’re still here,’ joked the doctor. The treatments were painful, I tried to be brave.’: Woman describes her journey with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, ‘I never had a childhood, but hope I can have a good adulthood’
“I was always fragile. When I wasn’t sick, I was injuring myself. My skin would turn purple and red with spots, and everything burned to the touch. I was probed with questions and faced with students’ and faculty’s disbelief. ‘You don’t look sick.’ Using the school’s only elevator resulted in harassment.”
‘He said I was a hypochondriac and was faking. ’You must be enjoying the attention.’ I became extremely nauseous, dizzy, shaky, and felt like I was going to pass out.’: Woman with bulimia, POTS, MCAS, EDS struggles for symptoms to be believed
“I don’t remember losing consciousness. Everything happened so fast, the next thing I can clearly remember is lying flat. I was sitting there, in a wheelchair, and he said I was a hypochondriac and was faking. I left his office in tears.”
‘BAM! That world was taken away from me. I was returning to a new normal.’: Double transplant recipient celebrates Donate Life Month during pandemic, ‘never underestimate how adaptable you are to change’
“It has been wild to see the rest of the world have this eye-opening experience of being removed from society, isolated, scared of germs, wearing masks and gloves and living in fear of one another and the unknown. I’ve spent a lot of my life in quarantine.”