Power Stories

At the age of nine, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. I underwent radiation and chemo for a combined total of 18 months. I was bullied in school for not having hair and for having to wear a wig–it was rough. During my remission, I was blessed with two beautiful children …

I was sick and didn’t want to admit it, but by the time I went to the doctor I was already at stage three. I was rushed in for a hysterectomy, followed by seven months of chemo plus external and internal radiation. I also went through several cat scans and …

I came home from work one morning and my index finger hurt like hell, didn’t think much about it I get banged up all the time. I’m a paramedic for a busy 911 service and I work 24-hour shifts. I’m also a wife, mother of three young adults, and grandmother …

In 2011, after 20+ years of marriage, I finally had the courage to leave a man I no longer recognized. I won’t get into the issues – suffice to say, you can NOT control anyone but yourself and all the prayers in the world sometimes aren’t answered in the way …

The Beauty Behind The Trauma of Adoption “Unfortunately, I’m that kid.” The one whose birth mom was a sex worker in South Africa, who was HIV positive (no that does not mean I have it, that’s another story), and who handed me in to the police station when I was …

In 2014, I was a normal, everyday mother. I have 3 children. One who is grown, Ryan (23), and a now 17-year-old daughter, Marissa, and a 13-year-old Down Syndrome Daughter, Alexa. I was working toward my nursing degree, and I was 3 years into my pre-requisites. I had suffered with …

I found a lump in December. In January, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I just finished round 4 of chemo. I still have 12 remaining. I work a full time job with the USPS. I am also a full time single mom of a beautiful 18-month-old girl. I don’t …

I was ejected from a motor vehicle five years ago, which resulted in two brain hemorrhages from multiple skull fractures. The doctors revived me several times and implanted three titanium plates in my head. In addition to brain damage, I deal with a lot of head pain and pain from …

Read Amelia’s original Power Story submission here. Two years ago, I submitted a story about finding out I had been suffering from CRPS since my tendon transfer surgery in 2003. The tale was slightly less general then I expected to be, and the outcome was very nice. However, I am now …

I have had stomach problems my entire life, but with age, I started having more. A few years ago, I started to get really nauseous while eating. Literally, I had to stop eating, or I would throw up. The acid reflux was unbearable, and I would throw up clear acid …