“At 14 years old, I tried to end my life by downing a whole bottle of antidepressants. I dropped out of high school and was ‘promiscuous’ at every opportunity. The bullying was relentless. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and cry. When I went to the doctor to get my weight checked, she looked at me with disgust. ‘How did you get so big? Why are you so overweight? Your body is mostly fat!’ I was speechless. I couldn’t even look her in the eye.”
‘You’d be so much prettier if you lose some weight.’ I was only allowed to drink water. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.’: Woman finds confidence after lifetime of body shaming, ‘I set MY OWN beauty standards now’
‘Why are you so hateful to yourself?’ ‘Oh, hell,’ I muttered before folding over in sobs. He wasn’t wrong. I am my own worst bully. The things I say to myself are plain awful.’
“Your daughter walks out the door with her prom date. What is on your mind as the two stroll hand in hand, down the sidewalk to the car? ‘Car crash.’ We respond, almost in unison. ‘Death.’ A little creepy, I admit.”
‘My sweet baby, my firstborn son, is homeless, mentally ill and addicted to heroin.’: Grieving mom urges others to break the stigma around addiction, ‘Don’t let us suffer alone’
“It had been 4 months since we’d had any contact. I hear someone calling my name. It’s my son! It’s a miracle. I hugged my sickly thin boy and told him, ‘I love you.’ I didn’t want to let go. I offered to buy him a meal. Our interaction was less than 10 minutes long. I left him there.”
‘Our son screamed like he was being tortured at school. Teachers, parents, and students stood, jaws agape, staring in complete shock, assuming the worst. We felt completely isolated.’
“There were red flags when he was only 18 months old. Many doctors, because of his age, wouldn’t even see us. When meltdowns occur, we feel embarrassed and panicked. Everyone either tries to help in ways that usually make things worse, or just stare without a clue how to help.”
‘Don’t get offended, babe. I just know you love that sort of stuff.’ My husband’s mortifying statement has haunted me for 12 hours.’: Wife hilariously wonders how to get through to ‘walking potatoes’
“I think I could feel myself elevate 3 inches off the ground while I came to terms with what he just said to me. If you’re a ‘Dave’ and you’re reading this, put down your phone, flush the toilet, and ask your partner if there’s something you can do to help.”
‘I yelled to my husband, ‘This is the only child you’re getting, I can’t do this again!’ The doctor had to take the baby out in a split second. He was purple, had the cord around his neck, not crying.’: Wife says it’s dad’s responsibility to ‘raise children as well,’ new parents find balance in chaotic phase
“The waiting game absolutely killed me. I was crying, desperate and confused. I felt like somebody was trying to take my baby away. My husband and I had to plan to spend time together. Our marriage and our relationship come before everything, and we don’t take it lightly.”
‘A woman had just given birth and wanted my husband and I to raise him. She didn’t even give the baby a name before she left. This tiny little boy had absolutely no one.’
“I knew right away this baby was destined to be ours. Mike and I had settled into a routine of pinching pennies, sharing domestic duties, and bonding with our little guy, when my world was shattered once again. For reasons of which I’m still not entirely sure, my loving husband, Brenden’s father, took his own life.”
‘I came home to my husband moved out and my key next to his wedding ring. It was so crushing. As soon as we got back from our wedding, he shut me out.’ After split from ‘dysfunctional relationship,’ woman turns her life around and becomes full-time health coach
“When I was 15, I started drinking 2-4 drinks a night. At 21, I ate most of my meals at bars. Before I knew it, I peaked at over 200 pounds. But the more I got healthy and lost weight, the more it drove a wedge between me and my fiancé. ‘Don’t get too skinny,’ he said. He wouldn’t talk to me and it was really frustrating. I felt like he was discrediting my work. My relationship was built on negativity.”
‘Momma, when are you gonna get better? I miss how you used to be.’ I could no longer lift her up. I didn’t have the guts to tell her there’s no cure.’
“I was walking down the sidewalk when I suddenly felt like my body was struck by lightning. My legs grew heavier with each step. All I could think was, ‘Something is very wrong.’ Nothing like this had ever happened before. The scariest part is fearing every day that I’ve passed it onto my daughter.”
‘Somehow, she still managed to pray for each one of her children and grandchildren, by name, every single night. The nurses were always stunned by this. But we never were.’
“My Memaw had a brain aneurysm that left her unable to live alone when I was 15, followed quickly by dementia. She didn’t always know who we were. Some days she talked. Some days she didn’t. Some days she had it together. And some day, well, some days were rough.”