18

I purchased a coffee today at Circle K . The proceeds are going to children in foster care. I was raised for a while in that system. My experience was so amazing. I loved my mother and I loved my father, but the pure warmth and safety, covered over by a truer sense of comfort really opened my eyes to what was happening to me? I had no questions. I just went where the system directly sent me. I had no confusion or even an emotion besides from glee. I never asked about why, or what happened. I

March

2019

15

On April 23, 2007 I was a senior at Oral Roberts University. There I was, two weeks before graduation, with 22.5 credit hours, and two jobs.  To top it off, I bottled up a horrific experience with my former boyfriend in his home. Walking in the shame of sexual abuse, academic obligations, and an overwhelming workload, my body finally told on me. What did it tell?  I was overloaded and needed to slow down and heal. Sometimes, healing and recovery are forced. Mine sure was. So on the evening of

March

2019

15

I have always considered myself a relatively healthy person. I eat fruits and vegetables, I walk and hike, my fourth grade teaching responsibilities require me to move about a lot, and I rarely get sick. Child delivery was the only event that brought me to the hospital. Doctor visits were few and far between. Until Sunday, January 6 2019. I’d had a nagging headache for a few days, but I attributed the pain to fatigue and the demand of classroom life after a long holiday break. I remember

March

2019

13

You know how people wonder what they’ll lament about on their death beds? Lots of people make predictions about how “on your death bed, you’re not going to wish you’d spent more time at work” and stuff like that. In fact, some people make life decisions based largely on what they’ll regret on their death bed. I have an advantage there. I’ve been on my “death bed.” When I was riding in the ambulance after my stroke, and the paramedic was imploring me to, “Stay with us, Tamsen!” I had to face

March

2019

11

I’m Cleo, 26 years old, married and from the Philippines. I had a hemorrhagic stroke last year March 6, 2018 at 25years old. I was doing some stuff at my business and  some household chores when suddenly I felt something burst within my head, followed by sudden weakness and numbness at my right side of my body and dizziness. I went inside the house thinking maybe I should take some rest. Being a nurse, I really felt that something is wrong so I told my cousin to bring me to the nearest

March

2019