The 15 Experience Journals feature stories, videos, and personal experiences from real kids, teens, and families who are dealing with significant physical and emotional illnesses. Read their stories, in their own words.

ADHD
Journal

“I wish I hadn’t thought having ADHD was out of the ordinary.”
-James, 18

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Asthma
Journal

“I’m still a regular kid, but I have Asthma.”
-Jared, 10

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Bereavement
Journal

“You can choose to drown in the wave of grief, or become a better surfer.”
-A mother

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Cerebral Palsy
Journal

“The most rewarding thing is to be able to set challenges and surpass them”
-David, 18

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Depression
Journal

“Deep inside my heart, I know I am a strong person, because I’m still alive after all the hardships I dealt with”
-A patient

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Diabetes
Journal

“It can be very satisfying to know that I am living with diabetes and living just as well as if I didn’t have it.”
-Mary, 25

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Facing Violence
Journal

“You are just so much stronger than your fist, than your gun, than your knife.”
-Youth contribution

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Hearing Loss
Journal

“…do whatever you can do to embrace it, celebrate it, and learn to love it as a special gift.”
-Melanie, 23

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Heart
Journal

“Strength in heart is better than strength in movement.”
-A patient, 19

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IBD
Journal

“If you get stressed, it will add on to the pain in your stomach. Believe me.”
-A patient

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Overweight
Journal

“Don’t get hung up on what the number says when you stand on the scale.”
-A patient

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Self-Cathing
Journal

“With spina bifida, everybody is a little different, it’s like a snowflake.”
-Sam, 32

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Spanish Voices
Journal

“Hay que tener esperanza. Muchas veces de donde menos pensamos, viene una fortaleza que puede cambiar la situación.”

-Una Mamá
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Transplant
Journal

“The journey through transplantation has given me strength and perseverance that I value and cherish throughout my life.”
-Johnny, 28

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Vascular Anomalies
Journal

“As much as it’s frustrating at times, I also feel like it’s made me who I am in a good way.”
-Sarah, young adult

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Art
Gallery

The Art Gallery contains poems, quotes, and visual art pieces from patients and their families.

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The information provided on this website is not intended as medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for seeking professional care. If you have any questions concerning your medical or psychiatric health or the medical or psychiatric health of a child, you should contact your doctors and nurses.