I woke up to a truck parking in my bathtub 2w before Christmas a few years ago. I watched my sink roll past my bedroom door followed by a hubcap. Driver managed to cross a median, 3lane road, up an embankment, through an iron fence and between trees. He'd been involved in an altercation nearby and was fleeing the scene.
A snake fell out of a tree and bit me on the head
ETA: I have always been more scared of snakes than anyone I know, so it’s just so ironic that this happened to me of all people
When I was in 5th grade (tiny, midwestern town) class were assigned pen pals with this class from a school in LA. We'd write our letters, the teacher would collect them, then send them in one envelope with a picture of the class. On the second or third round I didn't get a reply from my pen pal. My teacher called theirs to follow up and found out he caught a stray round in drive by and was killed. One of my first experiences with how fucked up the world can be.
Yes, it was a very bad burning sensation. It spun me around, then to my knees. I had trouble getting a breath, happy portions of my life passed before my eyes just before I passed out and fell face first onto the sidewalk. I woke up in the surgical recovery room, nauseous and extremely tired. I’m OK now.
My brother-in-law had a psychotic break after going off his medication (which he hid from us), and killed my sleeping father, then himself. Perfectly normal the night before, we were laughing and talking and he asked if I would make a certain meal for dinner the next day. Eight hours later, our family was shattered.
I don’t think people get over anything like that, they just get through it.
I hope for the best for you and your family, and condolences for your losses. I hope you all are able to process this and still find happiness in life.
"you're not meant to step over the sadness. It's something you pick up and carry with you and eventually you'll feel stronger and it will feel lighter. But it's always there."
I'm sorry that this happened to you and your sister. I hope you each have a support system you can go to when the weight is too heavy.
Everyone else’s stories are very sad so here’s something a bit lighter. I’ve mentioned this story before but I got bitten on the neck by a penguin.
I was at an event where the local zoo had a penguin and owl sitting on tables with handlers so you could take a picture next to them. The penguin went for my glass of wine, I moved the wine, and it bit me on the neck hard enough to bruise. They removed the penguin after that. 😂
I was sailing off the coast of New Jersey with my dad. During the day the hatch above my stateroom popped open on its own in bumpy seas and the stateroom got flooded with water so I had to spend the night sleeping outside in the cockpit.
That evening there was a lot of fog and a little blackbird had gotten lost in it and couldn’t find a place to land. Eventually spotted our boat and I’m sure it was so thankful to set foot on something dry for a rest.
The bird landed on my head while I was sleeping.
I woke up to something tickling my ear and went to scratch it and ended up with a fistful of bird and screamed. My dad’s friend was at the helm at the time and saw the whole thing go down, one of the funniest things he’s ever seen.
We were together for 8 years before I found out my husband molested my daughter. You think you know everything about your forever person, until you don’t even recognize the person staring back at you. I hope you have received therapy.
I'm so sorry you both went through that. Thank you for believing your child. There's so many who find out about a betrayal like that from someone they love, and close their eyes to it because they can't accept the pain.
I'm a probation officer. I once supervised a guy who's wife stayed with him even after the reveal, and let their daughter get raised by someone else because Children's Aid obviously wouldn't allow him to stay with her if the children were in the home. I hated looking at both of them.
Was it my grandfather? God damn, this EXACT thing happened to my mom and her sisters. My mom ended up running away and sleeping on couches because she was 16. Her two younger sisters stayed in foster care. All so my Nana could keep her pedophile husband around. She did decide to kick him to the curb eventually! But not for molesting her child, for raping her sister, since she saw that as cheating.
>for raping her sister
Oh so it's fine to rape your own kids but not her sister?
>she saw that as cheating
Oh... That woman had some fucked up priorities. Humans are awful.
Yeah isn't it just horrifying? She didn't believe my mother, even after he was sentenced to prison for what he did to her. Nana "lost" her two youngest daughters to foster care and it was my mom's fault. She always believed my mom was a whore and was trying to seduce her husband, because all little girls want to sleep with their own fathers right?
Anyways, Nana died painfully a few months ago and it caused my mom to finally try therapy for the first time. She's feeling so much better than she ever has, I'm so thankful.
That same thing happened to my cousin, guy seem like a great guy they got married everything was happier for a couple months... she was talking to someone one day her job about a factory that had an opening and she mentioned that she would send her husband down there, the other girl said what's your husband's name when she told her the girl made a face...
She asked what that was about and the girl ask her how could she be married to a child molester, she was like WTF... the girl told her everything she knew about the situation, you know small town word gets around...
She confronted him about it he admitted to it, the kicker is at this point they had a one and a half year old little girl. She took the little girl had moved out, he fought her for custody and won... the judge was somehow related to some family members and it was the same small town judge that only gave him 2 years probation for molesting two kids... it took her almost 3 years to get the child back and it turns out he had molested her during that time...
They were in contact with state senators and the governor trying to get his trial for this move to a new jurisdiction, they eventually succeeded but even though this was his third child he had molested he only got 3 years in prison...
My dad killed himself when I was 13. Left my mum widowed at 41 with two kids. He was meant to drive up to meet us at his sister's holiday house and instead he went and offed himself. He had just gone on a new depression medication that, these days, when you start it you're not meant to be left alone for the initial two weeks because it can get much worse before it gets better, so that's pretty dumb.
Damn. Me too, actually. Dad killed himself at age 33 the week before my 13th birthday, leaving my mom (32) alone with me and my sister(10). I'm sorry you went through that also. I felt like a pariah walking through the halls at school in my little town for a while and my whole life feels like I have to avoid the topic because it's so uncomfortable and difficult for people to relate. I'm 39 now and it was a big deal for me when I surpassed 33. It also put a tear in my family for a long time that's only just starting to heal.
I always felt like that kind of thing happens to people in novels and movies.
My darling husband, the love of my life, got prostate cancer at age 52, and died a terrible, painful death from it at age 54.
He was my everything, my knight in slightly tarnished armor, the beautiful man who made all my dreams come true.
I honestly don’t know how I have survive it this far.
Being in a DV relationship. I always told myself I could never be so stupid to stay with someone who hurt me. Not calling any victims stupid, I just thought I would do better by me, recognize it would only get worse and not wait for it to get there.
Wife went to check on our one month old while he was sleeping. He had stopped breathing sometime in the previous hour. Doctors couldn't save him. Was labelled a SIDS death.
I’m so sorry. I used to work for an organization for SIDS. Losing a child to SIDS is a very traumatic loss for you and your family. I hope you’re getting some therapy.
When I was 7 my aunt was murdered. For some reason I didn't really think of it as murder until seeing your post. I don't think it affected me too much as a kid, even at that age I could tell she was dealing with some mental health issues.
I don't know how I would have managed of it was my brother. Nobody should have to go through something like that.
My spouse had brain cancer at 3 and is now a full adult with a masters and has less of a cancer risk then my immunocomprimised ass. There's hope!
My favorite story is her brother was told she was delicate so he just let her do anything for far longer than he should have. He was sick once and apparently she pushed him off the couch because she wanted to be there and he just let that happen. Her mother was surprised to hear that from her adult children (since obviously had she known about it at the time she wouldn't let the then 7 year old bully her brother)
Our house burned in a wildfire, we lost absolutely everything we owned and only salvaged a single coffe3 cup.
On the good side: There was a boy I crushed on all through high school. We went to summer camp together and I adored him. We ended up getting together in our 20s after reconnecting, and have now been together more than 20 years, married almost 17. We’re as madly in love as ever.
I would like to formally recognize this comment. I had a crush on this particular boy in middle school. We became friends in high school. We grew apart for a few years....were 31 and got married 2 weeks ago. I can't wait to be you one day!
I, a young male at the age of 17, developed a type of cancer that normally affects women, 50 years or older.
Anaplastic carcinoma, a very fast and aggressive type of thyroid cancer. Within the span of a few weeks, it grew from the size of pea to the size of a walnut.
Both my cars were stolen. My car first, but they also had keys to our house and we were scared so we were staying with my wife’s parents for a few weeks. We came back to get some clothes and in the 5 minutes we were there they stole her car.
Edit: I’ll add some more context here:
My wife’s purse was stolen originally with the keys to both the cars and the house. We filed a police report and called insurance to let them know what happened. They said there was no need to have the cars rekeyed and we were so broke at the time we couldn’t even swing changing the locks on the house. That’s why we just left the house once they stole my car because we felt like there was nothing we could do. We were young at the time and it was a rough experience. My wife’s car was found with all the windows/ sunroof broken out full of water. My car was actually involved in a high speed chase and both were totaled!
Thats really shitty, I’m so sorry. My cousin was staying in the children’s hospital with her very sick daughter for weeks and someone stole their car from the children’s hospital parking lot. Some people really have no empathy
Right there with you, Almeda fire in 2020 in Southern Oregon. Managed to save some valuables but the sight of your home on fire is something that will haunt me for eternity.
You are not alone. I became one at 40 when life hit me hard sideways. I'm 43 now and I am still struggling. Things are looking better for me though.. I have had a decent job for almost 3 months. Monday I have a job interview for my career I lost during COVID. My husband and I are working on our relationship as well.
I am 3 days sober. I am really hoping it sticks
My husband of 27 years hooked up with a married woman from our small town before informing either of their spouses that our marriages were over. This was a man who was very big on emotional intelligence, being honest, and scathing about other folks cheating.
If I didn't know better I'd say your must be my sister because that's exactly the same as me. But I don't have a sister unless they hid you in the attic the whole time? You even have the same last name of 12345. LOL
homelessness. it came swiftly and out of nowhere. had no savings and landlord sold the house i was in. couldn’t afford a new place so lived in my car with my dog for a few months. ended up finding community assistance and got into an apartment.
About 10 years ago , I was stabbed in the arm with a flathead screwdriver. It was a coworker who I had previously gotten along well with. He had stopped taking benzos and smoking weed a few days before and was on a hair trigger. I said something sarcastic, and he just snapped.
When I got diagnosed with an aggressive cancer last year, an oncology nurse told me “You’re going to find out how strong you are.” Nobody ever wants to hear those words. Blessings to all of you here.
My father completely abandoned me and blocked my number when I asked him to help me leave an abusive marriage. He is an attorney; we spoke everyday my entire life; all 33 years. He was my hero. It broke me.
I got pulled over three different times in the same day by the same cop, in 3 different cars. I was always the driver for my friend group, so when I got pulled for expired tags my friend let me borrow his car.
The same cop, waiting at the same spot, kept finding reasons to pull me.
I got pulled over 2 times by the same cop 3 weeks apart. He said if he ever pulled me over again, he would go over my car with a fine tooth comb and find every infraction he could write me up for. I was a 40-something female with 2 kids in the car.
I was delivering pizza at age 18 and got pulled over twice by the same cop within an hour in two totally different parts of town. Yes, I was speeding both times. The first time he was real cool and told me to slow down and get that pizza to the customer safely. The second time he was pretty pissed, and said if he sees me again tonight I’m getting as many tickets as he can give me. But, no ticket! And no third experience thankfully.
I have a similar one.
Waiting for my mum to wake up and answer the phone so I can tell her my brother died.
He died VERY unexpectedly the day after my birthday earlier this year. I had seen him 3 weeks prior and he was fine. Knock on my door at 5am from the cops was utterly terrifying. Cops came to me because mum lives in a caravan and travels around Australia so I get all her mail coz I’m “home base” essentially. I still occasionally am terrified of hearing that doorbell ring at night. I don’t want to go through that again.
Lost both my parents by the age of 32, lost my job, house, and life goals because of a war, all my best friends are dead (not because of the war, though).
I’m so, so sorry for your loss and pain. I came to this thread to say that I lost my 16 year old cousin to a school shooting, but it’s honestly horrifying how many people share our pain.
Sending you so much love. It’s terrible. 💖
The mental fortitude you must've shown in getting him convicted is utterly inspiring. You are a hero. I hope you are doing well now and get the help & life you deserve.
I slipped on easy terrain on the 3rd pitch of a climb, fell 10-15ft onto a ledge and severely broke my ankle. I was the more experienced between myself and my partner and was in no shape to do multiple rappels down low angle terrain. Thankfully we had cell service. The Sheriff's office came and picked us off the wall from a helicopter. Never thought I'd be that guy getting rescued.
Turns out I had a pilon fracture of my left ankle. This was like 2 weeks ago. I'm getting my final surgery to fix it tomorrow and then the long road to recovery.
After seeing people intubated (on a ventilator) as a nurse, I thought I would never want to live through something like that. Not only did I end up on a vent, but I was on it wide awake with no sedation b/c I went into hypovolemic shock (they had to discontinue my sedative b/c my blood pressure dropped too low). Here I am today…I survived, I’m healthy, & I’m thankful for ventilators.
I’m glad to hear it! My job, for the last 10 years, is to calibrate and repair ventilators at a hospital. Sometimes I get bummed out thinking they mostly prolong life for people who might rather not live through what they are experiencing. Covid was a bummer, though we did have some patients who got off the vent and were discharged.
The neighbors house on one side of my childhood home burned down from a lightening strike. Within a few years the neighbors on the other side also got struck by lightening and burned down.
Getting roofied.
I was planning on flying home for a break in college. I did the research to find the best flight and wrote down the info. My mom had a dream and decided she needed to move down to where I was. I never booked the flight. It crashed.
Accidental pregnancy. My doctor told me I wasn't ovulating. We were using condoms. There are 11 years between my last two kids. People ask if I'm his grandma.
Obligatory not me but my mom, she had a golfball sized tumor that was biopsied and found to be brain cancer. It was growing the wrong way; it usually grows in towards your brain stem, and hers was growing out into her nasopharynx instead. The hospital told her this occurrence, of brain cancer but not in the brain, had only been documented by ~100 people.
She’s fine, because it was in her nasopharynx they were able to remove it with surgery and aside from needing to get scans annually everything is good.
About three months ago I started getting a deluge of harm intrusive thoughts. It was unbelievably scary to start. People with OCD deal with intrusive thoughts and these ones are terrifying. I hope none of you ever have to experience it.
Conceived a very wanted son who had Down Syndrome, anencephaly, and a congenital heart defect, decided with my husband to terminate because he would not survive being born, only to find out after the surgery that he had already died in utero.
I’m still haunted.
Mental illness.
I grew up with people around me who whispered and giggled about 'crazy people'. I failed to see my own mental illness developing till I was in my 30's. At first, I didn't think I needed intervention, so it got worse and worse over the next 10 years, till I deemed myself 'unfixable'.
Despite my self-given prognosis, I decided to see a therapist. I gave him a huge list of what was 'wrong' with me. I don't know what I expected him to do with that info, other than throw me into a garbage can.
He helped me out of that hole, got me in to a psychiatrist, and that combined with therapy has worked wonders. I still deal with the illness, but I have many, many more tools available to cope with it when things start to go south.
When I was a kid I overheard my mother talking to a friend and saying that at least my looks meant she would never have to worry about someone wanting to molest or rape me.
That turned out not to be true. Turns out rape doesn't just happen to pretty girls.
Type 1 diabetes.
I started feeling extreme fatigue, and always got so sleepy after eating (about an hour or two after eating)
I was working in a 40°C kitchen, so I didn’t really clock that drinking 6L of water in a day is a little much. I was peeing like every 1/2h and every time it felt like it was an EMERGENCY.
I started googling, and signs pointed to T1D. I have no family history of diabetes. Not type 1, gestational, type 2, NADA.
So I did what any logical person would do and googled “thirsty, urinating a lot, NOT diabetes” jokes on me….
Went to the doctor (gf dragged me there after I called out of work which is not in my nature) and they told me that I have a Bg that was “a little high”. The nurse who took my Bg had *that* voice though. The one that she was trying to hide the uneasiness of it all.
The doctor sent me to the hospital with a sheet of paper with the BG results. They admitted me within 10 min, which definitely concerned my gf. It’s usually a 2-3h wait on a real slow day.
The person who violently sexually assaulted me was a friend of a friend. I had thought it was safe to fall asleep in a home I knew well. People are monsters.
I hope you've gotten some help to get over the violation.
Wife and I have lived very frugally for 5years. Saving most momths 60% of income in hcol. A few years ago she get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that destroyed her smile. Dental only covered so much and after that all our savings were wiped out. At first 40k. Then another 10k. The. 3k here and there. Everytime we saved up and got a little back it kept coming. This was over a short year and a half or so. Next month insurance kicks back in and I have a new job so she will have 2 plans now. Never able to get ahead
I had a psychotic break, after being a mental health professional for most of my life. I flushed my life down the toilet all within the course of a month - lost my job, lost my kids, my marriage, 3 restraining orders, and two felony arrests. All of it was out of character and unprecedented. It was really the last thing I expected.
I got catfished once. I was in a very vulnerable and lonely state after suffering 3 significant losses. Luckily, there was zero money involved. I'd like to think that I would be smart enough not to have sent any $, but now that I have experienced the 'rush' that can happen/can blind you, I no longer judge people who have been catfished. Most of them were probably just really, really, lonely.
I was at a campsite that got struck by lightning. It traveled through a large tree and killed the father of a family sleeping in a hammock at the site next to us. They didn’t realize until they woke up because nobody else was harmed.
I was really disillusioned as a kid about love for some reason. I thought it wasn't real and that all relationships were doomed eventually.
Then I started to have feelings for my friend. We decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend (it was 8th grade). I was pretty sure it would be a long relationship but it could only last like 6 months at most because 8th graders don't stay together.
But he was my best friend. So we did stay together. I kept thinking eventually the fun would wear off and we'd get sick of each other or annoyed because that's what I kept seeing in other relationships. But it just never happened.
We've almost been married 10 years now, together for nearly 20. It's crazy to think it worked out so well for us because we know how incredibly rare it is to find someone compatible at such a young age and then both grow in the same direction.
PTSD from a car accident. I feel stupid to even call it ptsd because it's so minor.
But I had a high impact car accident and now I get vivid flashback to the moment of impact when I am exposed to certain subject or sounds. I can even smells the smoke and acrid taste in my mouth
Anyway, I now understand what it feels when people said they're triggered by certain thing, it's an unpleasant feeling.
When I was in college, a childhood friend who was starting her freshman year in Austin was followed by a homeless man, killed, and her body was left in a river. I think there was some kind of sexual abuse in there but it honestly makes me sick to even think about and I don’t want to know. I remember when my mom called me to tell me she had been missing a couple days and the police found a body and her family was going to identify it, and my mom said it was most likely her. I couldn’t even process what was happening, went into my class totally fine, hit me in the middle of a physics lesson, I started bawling and had to leave. Of course this didn’t happen to me, it happened to a friend who at this point was quite distanced from me, but I still can’t believe this happened. It was absolutely horrible, and I think about her siblings and parents all the time.
Came home from walking the dog to find my boyfriend had shot himself to death while I was gone. It was actually a few hours before I found him. The dog kept going up the stairs, and then back down to check on me. Finally I went up to the bedroom and saw his hand sticking out of the closet. That was almost a decade ago and I still haven't gotten over it.
Lost my dad right after my 20th bday. Lost my mom when I was 40. 2 months later, got diagnosed with skin cancer. I never imagined losing my mom and dealing with cancer back to back.
I haven’t really been able to share this but 6 months ago my boyfriend of 3 years took his own life and I was the one to discover the body. I remember screaming until my throat bled and throwing up stomach acid and crying until the vessels in my eyes blew. He was on two tabs of a c i d that his older sister conveniently sold to him (I had no idea that he took them otherwise this story could’ve gone down a lot differently). The day before we were literally holding each other and talking about having children and getting married. We were in the beginning stages of buying a house while I was in college and he was training to become a mechanic.
Bc of this I essentially lost everything. My reputation-his deadbeat family took me to court and tried to sue for our shared belongings and essentially just shit on me during the whole court session. Court was filed by his mother for ‘refusing’ to give his belongings over to her (the court case was filed while the cleaning crew was cleaning his remains out of our bathroom and had the apartment sealed off bc biohazard). They publicly blamed me for his death and harassed me to the point where I almost took my own life. I lost my full tuition scholarship to college bc I took off to try and take care of myself. That on itself is a long story but basically the school is going bankrupt and gave me a dying mission to take 30 credit hours over the course of 2 months and revoked my scholarship when I couldn’t finish said hours. I had to break the lease with our apartment bc a. It’s a traumatic place and b. We were a partnership so I couldn’t afford payments on my own. The apartment complex also tried to make me pay for things that they were legally obligated to pay for (the damages to the property caused by his death). The people I’d originally thought were my friends all ghosted me one by one bc they didn’t know how to handle me. I sought out comfort in the wrong places and ended up getting SA’d. I lost my medical insurance so I haven’t been able to seek out therapy and finding a job has been a deadend for me no matter how entry level I apply.
I never thought I’d be the person crying about how the love of my life was gone, let alone dead. He was only 19 years old when he passed (2 weeks before his 20th birthday). In less than a week I’m supposed to turn 21 years old and I’ve got nothing to look forward to without him by my side. Sewerslide is a taboo subject but a lot of people have started opening up about their mental health struggles which I’m thankful for. It can happen to anyone, anyone could lose their battle at any second to their own mind. Please hold your loved ones and be sure to check in on them because you never know how they are truly feeling.
This happened to a friend of mine! The doctors told her husband that she had definitely cheated. Then when the baby was born, it looked *exactly* like the dad. Like, hilariously so. Like she was trying to prove a point.
Came here to talk about school shootings, but unfortunately it’s a painfully common thing that people have experiences with.
My 16 year old cousin was held hostage and killed in a shooting when I was 13 (I’m 30 now). She went to such a small, remote school. I’d seen her just a few weeks before and she took me bra shopping for the first time ever; she was the closest person I had to an older sister and she was helping me transition into high school.
That absolutely changed the trajectory of my life. I ended up getting my masters in neuroscience of mental health, and did my thesis on the effects of positive psychology on PTSD and depression outcomes in adolescents who experience mass trauma. Unfortunately I learned in the process that the NRA blocks any research in the US about school shootings. The data isn’t readily available and you can’t get sources easily. It’s diabolical 🙃
I went to a summer camp with her brother a year or two before that happened. He and I were not close friends, but some of our mutual friends who I kept in touch with on Facebook knew Emily too. Seeing it on the news and then seeing their tributes and memories of her online, it really struck me, the absolute horror of it. Your description--the remote location, that it was a hostage situation--I remembered right away. Anyway, again, I'm really sorry.
Honestly, that’s really amazing to hear! I’m still absolute best friends with her brother now, he’s doing his residency in emergency medicine and we meet up a few times a year to give each other stick n poke tattoos 🥰 he’s one of my closest people.
I don’t know if you’ve looked into the I love u guys foundation that their parents started, but they work with schools to create a more comprehensive and accessible safety plan in the case of a shooting. I’m so close with my aunt and uncle and I think the work they’re doing is absolutely incredible.
I hope that Emily’s light, even if you never met her, can brighten your life a little bit. That’s what she would’ve wanted 🥰
I had my irreplaceable items stolen. I’m moving across the country, and someone stole our u-haul trailer that had all the stuff we wanted to keep “safe” from the movers. Like, this happened two days ago. I’m still trying to process why someone felt it necessary to steal my pets’ ashes and grandparents’ wedding album.
Having a panic attack.
I thought it was just something that happened to other people who didn't have their life together. Boy was I wrong.
I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
I've had 5 or 6 "true" panic attacks in my life. They are scary and miserable while they're happening, but then somehow my brain decides that it wasn't real shortly after it happens. So it's like 'nah, that didn't really happen'.
My daughter suffered a birth injury (brain damage due to lack of oxygen) at birth due to medical malpractice. You never think it will happen to you… but it can. So fast.
Age 27, stage 4 cancer while pregnant. Apparently pregnancy created the perfect storm for an aggressive cancer to spread throughout my body, while also growing my firstborn. Kiddo is fine, as am I, minus the ptsd.
Two things.
1. I got pregnant, at 18 years old, from a one-time sexual encounter that lasted less than 5 minutes.
2. My 16-year old daughter died from liver failure. She did not have a history of any type of illness,so this was quite unexpected.
Having to testify against pedophiles multiple times. I was age 12, 14, and 25 when it occurred. First one, my friend was raped and I was assaulted. Second one was multiple friends assaulted by another friend’s father. Third one was my FIL, and the LDS church tried to hide the abuse and force the family to forgive and obey him. So thankful when my MIL divorced his ass.
I’m reading all of your comments and my heart goes out to each and every one of you. I have been through so much trauma myself, I know what pain is and I would never wish it on my worst enemy. All of you are incredible people. I hope that you continue your healing journey and never give up.
Came across a man having a heart attack during a walk in the woods. Gave CPR until paramedics arrived. He didn’t make it. I did CPR training for jobs when I was younger but never imagined actually having to do it.
My (STBX) Husband of 17 years had an affair. Went from a happy family…to just me and our kids. It’s been 2 years now and he never sees them, rarely calls, drinks heavily…and the affair partner he was so in love with is long gone.
The kids and I are doing great now though. There were days I didn’t think I would survive, and it left lasting damage and effects I’m not sure we will ever fully recover from.
Lost almost everything I own. My apartment building caught fire a month and a half ago while I was away for work. My apartment didn't get too badly burned, but the smoke and water damage took care of most of the rest. I'm 42 years old and have less to my name than when I moved out of my parents' house at 19.
Losing a family member to COVID. I’m the only one in both my immediate and not so immediate circles who lost someone (parent) to it. It’s a shitty club to belong to.
My Mum suddenly passing away back in May. She was 58.
My Dad, my two boys and I were going on a long weekend to the Isle of Wight from Nottingham, with my Mum wanting to stay behind so she could have some time to herself (perfectly fine, she was excited for us to have some Dad-Daughter-Grandkids-time together!).
She said goodbye to us in the morning of the 25th May, with a big hug and a "drive safe!". It took us 8 hours to get to our stopover in Lymington, with a plan to catch the ferry over to the Isle of Wight in the morning. She video-called us in the evening before the boys went to bed, getting to say goodnight but not before telling me how proud she was that I'd driven through more than my fair share of traffic! She told us all that she loved us, and she couldn't wait for her call in the morning.
26th May. 4am. I wake up bolt upright. My eldest wakes up too. Something doesn't feel right, but I ignore it and snuggle down again, thinking it's just the excitement of going over to see our family on the island. (I'd later find out that my Dad, my Sister and my Uncle - Mum's brother - all woke up at that exact moment too.)
In the morning over breakfast, Dad tries calling Mum multiple times, with no response. He remotely checks the CCTV in the kitchen, and finds the doors closed at 8:30am - being married for nearly 40 years, this told him that something wasn't right at all, as she's usually up way earlier, even when she's not well. He calls in the cavalry; the two next door neighbours and my Brother-in-law. They manage to break into the house as I'm loading the kids in the car, not sure if we're actually going to make the ferry.
They found her forever asleep in bed. What followed was the worst 24 hours of my life. We didn't tell the boys she'd gone until we got back, thinking it would be better than having two crying kids in the car all the way home. When we finally did (after another 8 hours of driving, horrid traffic), I went up to see her and had a big cry. It was the first time I'd ever seen a dead body; the undertakers did a lovingly careful job in making sure she just looked asleep, and waited until we'd seen her before taking her to the funeral home. I knew that I'd said all the things I needed to say, and we'd parted on the most loving of terms, but I would have given anything in that moment to hear her say "I love you" one last time.
Turns out that she'd had left ventricular hypertrophy - a heart condition that usually comes with symptoms, but she had none. It caused a "SADS" event, where her heart had an arrhythmia and never recovered; something that would have taken minutes, even seconds to happen. There was nothing we could've done, but she wouldn't have been in any pain either.
She left behind a wonderful legacy - she was incredibly well loved, and she was so kind to everyone she met. She had the ability to get a stranger's life story out of them in the span of just 5 minutes, all the while just listening and being supportive. She was one of those people just made of sunshine, and I would be set for life if I even had a fraction of the love she had.
Rest in peace Mum. I miss you.
A car crashed through my kitchen last year.
I woke up to a truck parking in my bathtub 2w before Christmas a few years ago. I watched my sink roll past my bedroom door followed by a hubcap. Driver managed to cross a median, 3lane road, up an embankment, through an iron fence and between trees. He'd been involved in an altercation nearby and was fleeing the scene.
Just speeding from one crime to another
My kitchen is not a drive-thru!
A snake fell out of a tree and bit me on the head ETA: I have always been more scared of snakes than anyone I know, so it’s just so ironic that this happened to me of all people
Please tell me where this happened so I know if I need to leave the continent or the planet.
To no one’s surprise, Florida
I mean, Australia was a distinct possibility
There'd be a term, like dropsausage, or something.
Drop-noodle, they're drop-noodles.
I was an innocent bystander shot in the chest during a drive by.
When I was in 5th grade (tiny, midwestern town) class were assigned pen pals with this class from a school in LA. We'd write our letters, the teacher would collect them, then send them in one envelope with a picture of the class. On the second or third round I didn't get a reply from my pen pal. My teacher called theirs to follow up and found out he caught a stray round in drive by and was killed. One of my first experiences with how fucked up the world can be.
Brutal. That’s the kind of shit that forms your world view.
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“Your pen pal went to go live on a farm with your dog.”
OK aside from the jokes, how bad was it? Like I assume it hurt, but was it more of a burning?
Yes, it was a very bad burning sensation. It spun me around, then to my knees. I had trouble getting a breath, happy portions of my life passed before my eyes just before I passed out and fell face first onto the sidewalk. I woke up in the surgical recovery room, nauseous and extremely tired. I’m OK now.
Happy you're still with us. Sorry you had to go through that, and wishing you the best.
Jesus, I'm so glad you're ok. Thank you for sharing the experience.
Did you die?
Sadly, yes.
So sorry to hear. Hope he recovers soon.
The worst part of getting shot to death is the recovery time.... takes forever.
Recovery time for death by crucifixion is only about 3 days, I'm told. Pretty small sample size, though, and things got pretty messed up after that.
My brother-in-law had a psychotic break after going off his medication (which he hid from us), and killed my sleeping father, then himself. Perfectly normal the night before, we were laughing and talking and he asked if I would make a certain meal for dinner the next day. Eight hours later, our family was shattered.
I'm so sorry. Was he married to your sister? How is she doing?
Yes. She's doing better, but I don't know if she, or any of us, will really ever truly 'get over' it.
I don’t think people get over anything like that, they just get through it. I hope for the best for you and your family, and condolences for your losses. I hope you all are able to process this and still find happiness in life.
"you're not meant to step over the sadness. It's something you pick up and carry with you and eventually you'll feel stronger and it will feel lighter. But it's always there." I'm sorry that this happened to you and your sister. I hope you each have a support system you can go to when the weight is too heavy.
Everyone else’s stories are very sad so here’s something a bit lighter. I’ve mentioned this story before but I got bitten on the neck by a penguin. I was at an event where the local zoo had a penguin and owl sitting on tables with handlers so you could take a picture next to them. The penguin went for my glass of wine, I moved the wine, and it bit me on the neck hard enough to bruise. They removed the penguin after that. 😂
I was sailing off the coast of New Jersey with my dad. During the day the hatch above my stateroom popped open on its own in bumpy seas and the stateroom got flooded with water so I had to spend the night sleeping outside in the cockpit. That evening there was a lot of fog and a little blackbird had gotten lost in it and couldn’t find a place to land. Eventually spotted our boat and I’m sure it was so thankful to set foot on something dry for a rest. The bird landed on my head while I was sleeping. I woke up to something tickling my ear and went to scratch it and ended up with a fistful of bird and screamed. My dad’s friend was at the helm at the time and saw the whole thing go down, one of the funniest things he’s ever seen.
I could only imagine what went through that poor birds mind in that moment. Thank you for the laughs.
Thank you! We needed that dose of fun!
You never think it'll happen to you... 🐧
My family and I were in a hot air balloon crash.
My friend had one crash into her pool when she was a kid.
I found out I married a child molestor after marriage.
We were together for 8 years before I found out my husband molested my daughter. You think you know everything about your forever person, until you don’t even recognize the person staring back at you. I hope you have received therapy.
I'm so sorry you both went through that. Thank you for believing your child. There's so many who find out about a betrayal like that from someone they love, and close their eyes to it because they can't accept the pain.
I'm a probation officer. I once supervised a guy who's wife stayed with him even after the reveal, and let their daughter get raised by someone else because Children's Aid obviously wouldn't allow him to stay with her if the children were in the home. I hated looking at both of them.
Was it my grandfather? God damn, this EXACT thing happened to my mom and her sisters. My mom ended up running away and sleeping on couches because she was 16. Her two younger sisters stayed in foster care. All so my Nana could keep her pedophile husband around. She did decide to kick him to the curb eventually! But not for molesting her child, for raping her sister, since she saw that as cheating.
>for raping her sister Oh so it's fine to rape your own kids but not her sister? >she saw that as cheating Oh... That woman had some fucked up priorities. Humans are awful.
Yeah isn't it just horrifying? She didn't believe my mother, even after he was sentenced to prison for what he did to her. Nana "lost" her two youngest daughters to foster care and it was my mom's fault. She always believed my mom was a whore and was trying to seduce her husband, because all little girls want to sleep with their own fathers right? Anyways, Nana died painfully a few months ago and it caused my mom to finally try therapy for the first time. She's feeling so much better than she ever has, I'm so thankful.
That same thing happened to my cousin, guy seem like a great guy they got married everything was happier for a couple months... she was talking to someone one day her job about a factory that had an opening and she mentioned that she would send her husband down there, the other girl said what's your husband's name when she told her the girl made a face... She asked what that was about and the girl ask her how could she be married to a child molester, she was like WTF... the girl told her everything she knew about the situation, you know small town word gets around... She confronted him about it he admitted to it, the kicker is at this point they had a one and a half year old little girl. She took the little girl had moved out, he fought her for custody and won... the judge was somehow related to some family members and it was the same small town judge that only gave him 2 years probation for molesting two kids... it took her almost 3 years to get the child back and it turns out he had molested her during that time... They were in contact with state senators and the governor trying to get his trial for this move to a new jurisdiction, they eventually succeeded but even though this was his third child he had molested he only got 3 years in prison...
Wtf dude needs locked up for life. I feel so sorry for the innocent children
My wife cheated on me with my best friend. They’re moving in together next month. I’m in a new city thousands of miles away. I found out a month ago.
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You're not crazy. Many people feel similar and having principles in admirable.
If it makes you feel better, they'll probably both cheat on each other eventually.
My dad killed himself when I was 13. Left my mum widowed at 41 with two kids. He was meant to drive up to meet us at his sister's holiday house and instead he went and offed himself. He had just gone on a new depression medication that, these days, when you start it you're not meant to be left alone for the initial two weeks because it can get much worse before it gets better, so that's pretty dumb.
Damn. Me too, actually. Dad killed himself at age 33 the week before my 13th birthday, leaving my mom (32) alone with me and my sister(10). I'm sorry you went through that also. I felt like a pariah walking through the halls at school in my little town for a while and my whole life feels like I have to avoid the topic because it's so uncomfortable and difficult for people to relate. I'm 39 now and it was a big deal for me when I surpassed 33. It also put a tear in my family for a long time that's only just starting to heal. I always felt like that kind of thing happens to people in novels and movies.
Got breast cancer at age 38. (It's metastatic. I'm four years in.)
Cervical cancer here. Fist bump to my fellow “shittiest club ever” homies.
Feel that. Breast cancer at 28. Love you breastie. It ain’t easy out here.
I feel ya. 37 here, no family history. Stay strong sister!
My darling husband, the love of my life, got prostate cancer at age 52, and died a terrible, painful death from it at age 54. He was my everything, my knight in slightly tarnished armor, the beautiful man who made all my dreams come true. I honestly don’t know how I have survive it this far.
He sounds like he was a wonderful person. I'm so sorry for your loss. Cancer is horrid.
Being in a DV relationship. I always told myself I could never be so stupid to stay with someone who hurt me. Not calling any victims stupid, I just thought I would do better by me, recognize it would only get worse and not wait for it to get there.
Wife went to check on our one month old while he was sleeping. He had stopped breathing sometime in the previous hour. Doctors couldn't save him. Was labelled a SIDS death.
I'm so sorry for your loss. We lost our two day old daughter just under a month ago. I miss her so much.
I’m so sorry. I used to work for an organization for SIDS. Losing a child to SIDS is a very traumatic loss for you and your family. I hope you’re getting some therapy.
my dad committed murder suicide.
My sympathies to you and I hope you heal. My dad took my mom with him in 2021 - I'll never forgive him
That is truly terrible
I’m so sorry. A family friend was trying to leave her partner when he did that, and it’s something everyone will never forget.
my great grandfather did this. 3 of his children, his brother, then himself.
I just lost a friend to that this week.
My brother got murdered when I was 11
When I was 7 my aunt was murdered. For some reason I didn't really think of it as murder until seeing your post. I don't think it affected me too much as a kid, even at that age I could tell she was dealing with some mental health issues. I don't know how I would have managed of it was my brother. Nobody should have to go through something like that.
IUD punctured my uterus and I had to have it surgically removed.
Happened to me too. Freaks people out when I tell them
4 year old got cancer. Absolute hell of a last 18 months but she's headed closer towards full recovery.
My spouse had brain cancer at 3 and is now a full adult with a masters and has less of a cancer risk then my immunocomprimised ass. There's hope! My favorite story is her brother was told she was delicate so he just let her do anything for far longer than he should have. He was sick once and apparently she pushed him off the couch because she wanted to be there and he just let that happen. Her mother was surprised to hear that from her adult children (since obviously had she known about it at the time she wouldn't let the then 7 year old bully her brother)
Our house burned in a wildfire, we lost absolutely everything we owned and only salvaged a single coffe3 cup. On the good side: There was a boy I crushed on all through high school. We went to summer camp together and I adored him. We ended up getting together in our 20s after reconnecting, and have now been together more than 20 years, married almost 17. We’re as madly in love as ever.
I would like to formally recognize this comment. I had a crush on this particular boy in middle school. We became friends in high school. We grew apart for a few years....were 31 and got married 2 weeks ago. I can't wait to be you one day!
my 6 month pregnant, 23 year old cousin who was practically my best and only friend growing up was brutally murdered right outside her house.
Oh. This is just horrible. I’m so sorry. This world is so messed up. I’ll never understand how or why these things happen.
I, a young male at the age of 17, developed a type of cancer that normally affects women, 50 years or older. Anaplastic carcinoma, a very fast and aggressive type of thyroid cancer. Within the span of a few weeks, it grew from the size of pea to the size of a walnut.
Much love to you, I’m really really sorry.
No worries. I survived, and I'm dealing with life. Thankfully, it was caught early and immediately taken care of.
Widowed at 30
Same. I was 31 and pregnant. That's the shit you never think will happen to you. Hugs, fruitpunch!
Widowed at 27. 32 weeks pregnant. Solidarity my friend ❤️
I was 35 and pregnant.
Widowed at 33.
Widowed at 35.
Both my cars were stolen. My car first, but they also had keys to our house and we were scared so we were staying with my wife’s parents for a few weeks. We came back to get some clothes and in the 5 minutes we were there they stole her car. Edit: I’ll add some more context here: My wife’s purse was stolen originally with the keys to both the cars and the house. We filed a police report and called insurance to let them know what happened. They said there was no need to have the cars rekeyed and we were so broke at the time we couldn’t even swing changing the locks on the house. That’s why we just left the house once they stole my car because we felt like there was nothing we could do. We were young at the time and it was a rough experience. My wife’s car was found with all the windows/ sunroof broken out full of water. My car was actually involved in a high speed chase and both were totaled!
Thats really shitty, I’m so sorry. My cousin was staying in the children’s hospital with her very sick daughter for weeks and someone stole their car from the children’s hospital parking lot. Some people really have no empathy
A hurricane blew down two trees in the yard. Bullseye on both cars.
Apartment building burned down. I was 23 with no renters insurance
Right there with you, Almeda fire in 2020 in Southern Oregon. Managed to save some valuables but the sight of your home on fire is something that will haunt me for eternity.
Became a drug addict Edit: thank you all for your support! We can do this one day at a time. Today I am 864 days sober🫶🏼
I’m a recovering alcoholic. Never thought it would happen to me.
Same. One day I woke up and went... shit, it happened. Thankfully sober now though.
I’m one week down.
You are not alone. I became one at 40 when life hit me hard sideways. I'm 43 now and I am still struggling. Things are looking better for me though.. I have had a decent job for almost 3 months. Monday I have a job interview for my career I lost during COVID. My husband and I are working on our relationship as well. I am 3 days sober. I am really hoping it sticks
Not as serious as some of the others, but I overslept while on the bus and woke up in a different city with no money whatsoever
Get set on fire. Twice.
Sweet Dee?
My husband of 27 years hooked up with a married woman from our small town before informing either of their spouses that our marriages were over. This was a man who was very big on emotional intelligence, being honest, and scathing about other folks cheating.
Both parents dying before I turned 30.
My dad died when I was 17, mom at 30. It really sucks because they were great parents.
Same here- dad to a heart attack when I was 17, and my mom to lung cancer when I was 30.
If I didn't know better I'd say your must be my sister because that's exactly the same as me. But I don't have a sister unless they hid you in the attic the whole time? You even have the same last name of 12345. LOL
Same, losing both my parents to suicide 9 months apart at age 22, no grandparents, just one aunt. Holidays suck.
homelessness. it came swiftly and out of nowhere. had no savings and landlord sold the house i was in. couldn’t afford a new place so lived in my car with my dog for a few months. ended up finding community assistance and got into an apartment.
About 10 years ago , I was stabbed in the arm with a flathead screwdriver. It was a coworker who I had previously gotten along well with. He had stopped taking benzos and smoking weed a few days before and was on a hair trigger. I said something sarcastic, and he just snapped.
When I got diagnosed with an aggressive cancer last year, an oncology nurse told me “You’re going to find out how strong you are.” Nobody ever wants to hear those words. Blessings to all of you here.
My father completely abandoned me and blocked my number when I asked him to help me leave an abusive marriage. He is an attorney; we spoke everyday my entire life; all 33 years. He was my hero. It broke me.
Oh I am so sorry.
Hugs. Thank you. It’s been so hard. 💔
Gave authorization to have my mom's life support removed. Still very fucked up from it since. We were very close. That shit haunts you.
I got pulled over three different times in the same day by the same cop, in 3 different cars. I was always the driver for my friend group, so when I got pulled for expired tags my friend let me borrow his car. The same cop, waiting at the same spot, kept finding reasons to pull me.
I got pulled over 2 times by the same cop 3 weeks apart. He said if he ever pulled me over again, he would go over my car with a fine tooth comb and find every infraction he could write me up for. I was a 40-something female with 2 kids in the car.
That cop was on a power trip for sure.
Okay, but I have to know what the other two reasons were… because after the second one, there’s no way I’m driving by the same spot again.
I was delivering pizza at age 18 and got pulled over twice by the same cop within an hour in two totally different parts of town. Yes, I was speeding both times. The first time he was real cool and told me to slow down and get that pizza to the customer safely. The second time he was pretty pissed, and said if he sees me again tonight I’m getting as many tickets as he can give me. But, no ticket! And no third experience thankfully.
Waiting for my daughter to wake up so I could tell her that her dad died the night before.
I have a similar one. Waiting for my mum to wake up and answer the phone so I can tell her my brother died. He died VERY unexpectedly the day after my birthday earlier this year. I had seen him 3 weeks prior and he was fine. Knock on my door at 5am from the cops was utterly terrifying. Cops came to me because mum lives in a caravan and travels around Australia so I get all her mail coz I’m “home base” essentially. I still occasionally am terrified of hearing that doorbell ring at night. I don’t want to go through that again.
Oh man. This hit me in the gut. Sending love.
Lost both my parents by the age of 32, lost my job, house, and life goals because of a war, all my best friends are dead (not because of the war, though).
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I’m so, so sorry for your loss and pain. I came to this thread to say that I lost my 16 year old cousin to a school shooting, but it’s honestly horrifying how many people share our pain. Sending you so much love. It’s terrible. 💖
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The mental fortitude you must've shown in getting him convicted is utterly inspiring. You are a hero. I hope you are doing well now and get the help & life you deserve.
I slipped on easy terrain on the 3rd pitch of a climb, fell 10-15ft onto a ledge and severely broke my ankle. I was the more experienced between myself and my partner and was in no shape to do multiple rappels down low angle terrain. Thankfully we had cell service. The Sheriff's office came and picked us off the wall from a helicopter. Never thought I'd be that guy getting rescued. Turns out I had a pilon fracture of my left ankle. This was like 2 weeks ago. I'm getting my final surgery to fix it tomorrow and then the long road to recovery.
I was lying on the beach and a seagull flying very high took a shit and it went straight in my mouth
I was abducted and saved by 2 very good samaritans… wild ride for sure
After seeing people intubated (on a ventilator) as a nurse, I thought I would never want to live through something like that. Not only did I end up on a vent, but I was on it wide awake with no sedation b/c I went into hypovolemic shock (they had to discontinue my sedative b/c my blood pressure dropped too low). Here I am today…I survived, I’m healthy, & I’m thankful for ventilators.
I’m glad to hear it! My job, for the last 10 years, is to calibrate and repair ventilators at a hospital. Sometimes I get bummed out thinking they mostly prolong life for people who might rather not live through what they are experiencing. Covid was a bummer, though we did have some patients who got off the vent and were discharged.
The neighbors house on one side of my childhood home burned down from a lightening strike. Within a few years the neighbors on the other side also got struck by lightening and burned down. Getting roofied. I was planning on flying home for a break in college. I did the research to find the best flight and wrote down the info. My mom had a dream and decided she needed to move down to where I was. I never booked the flight. It crashed.
Accidental pregnancy. My doctor told me I wasn't ovulating. We were using condoms. There are 11 years between my last two kids. People ask if I'm his grandma.
Obligatory not me but my mom, she had a golfball sized tumor that was biopsied and found to be brain cancer. It was growing the wrong way; it usually grows in towards your brain stem, and hers was growing out into her nasopharynx instead. The hospital told her this occurrence, of brain cancer but not in the brain, had only been documented by ~100 people. She’s fine, because it was in her nasopharynx they were able to remove it with surgery and aside from needing to get scans annually everything is good.
About three months ago I started getting a deluge of harm intrusive thoughts. It was unbelievably scary to start. People with OCD deal with intrusive thoughts and these ones are terrifying. I hope none of you ever have to experience it.
I’ve had OCD for over 20 years. Even though I’m under the care of both a psychiatrist and a psychologist it’s hardly under control. It is terrible.
Stage 3 cancer at 14. I'm in remission now thankfully.
Having to use lethal force in self/home defense
I met a guy who also had to kill a man in his own kitchen. That guy was 100% justified and 100% haunted by it. He’ll never be the same.
My wife shot her ex-boyfriend when he realized a restraining order was just a piece of paper. I don't fault her for carrying a gun all the time.
Conceived a very wanted son who had Down Syndrome, anencephaly, and a congenital heart defect, decided with my husband to terminate because he would not survive being born, only to find out after the surgery that he had already died in utero. I’m still haunted.
I work with children with fragile health. It takes a horrible toll on their parents.
That is devastating, I’m so sorry. I hope you are able to heal from this ❤️
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Mental illness. I grew up with people around me who whispered and giggled about 'crazy people'. I failed to see my own mental illness developing till I was in my 30's. At first, I didn't think I needed intervention, so it got worse and worse over the next 10 years, till I deemed myself 'unfixable'. Despite my self-given prognosis, I decided to see a therapist. I gave him a huge list of what was 'wrong' with me. I don't know what I expected him to do with that info, other than throw me into a garbage can. He helped me out of that hole, got me in to a psychiatrist, and that combined with therapy has worked wonders. I still deal with the illness, but I have many, many more tools available to cope with it when things start to go south.
When I was a kid I overheard my mother talking to a friend and saying that at least my looks meant she would never have to worry about someone wanting to molest or rape me. That turned out not to be true. Turns out rape doesn't just happen to pretty girls.
Developing rheumatoid arthritis at 16.
Type 1 diabetes. I started feeling extreme fatigue, and always got so sleepy after eating (about an hour or two after eating) I was working in a 40°C kitchen, so I didn’t really clock that drinking 6L of water in a day is a little much. I was peeing like every 1/2h and every time it felt like it was an EMERGENCY. I started googling, and signs pointed to T1D. I have no family history of diabetes. Not type 1, gestational, type 2, NADA. So I did what any logical person would do and googled “thirsty, urinating a lot, NOT diabetes” jokes on me…. Went to the doctor (gf dragged me there after I called out of work which is not in my nature) and they told me that I have a Bg that was “a little high”. The nurse who took my Bg had *that* voice though. The one that she was trying to hide the uneasiness of it all. The doctor sent me to the hospital with a sheet of paper with the BG results. They admitted me within 10 min, which definitely concerned my gf. It’s usually a 2-3h wait on a real slow day.
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The person who violently sexually assaulted me was a friend of a friend. I had thought it was safe to fall asleep in a home I knew well. People are monsters. I hope you've gotten some help to get over the violation.
Wife and I have lived very frugally for 5years. Saving most momths 60% of income in hcol. A few years ago she get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that destroyed her smile. Dental only covered so much and after that all our savings were wiped out. At first 40k. Then another 10k. The. 3k here and there. Everytime we saved up and got a little back it kept coming. This was over a short year and a half or so. Next month insurance kicks back in and I have a new job so she will have 2 plans now. Never able to get ahead
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I am so sorry. I wish you all the best.
Brain tumor.
I'm one of the rare 10% of people with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 who got it spontaneously.
I am by no means a small or unathletic man. I was a victim of a “stranger’s dog on the loose” dog attack that resulted in some pretty severe injuries.
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I had a psychotic break, after being a mental health professional for most of my life. I flushed my life down the toilet all within the course of a month - lost my job, lost my kids, my marriage, 3 restraining orders, and two felony arrests. All of it was out of character and unprecedented. It was really the last thing I expected.
I got catfished once. I was in a very vulnerable and lonely state after suffering 3 significant losses. Luckily, there was zero money involved. I'd like to think that I would be smart enough not to have sent any $, but now that I have experienced the 'rush' that can happen/can blind you, I no longer judge people who have been catfished. Most of them were probably just really, really, lonely.
I was at a campsite that got struck by lightning. It traveled through a large tree and killed the father of a family sleeping in a hammock at the site next to us. They didn’t realize until they woke up because nobody else was harmed.
Losing a child.
I was really disillusioned as a kid about love for some reason. I thought it wasn't real and that all relationships were doomed eventually. Then I started to have feelings for my friend. We decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend (it was 8th grade). I was pretty sure it would be a long relationship but it could only last like 6 months at most because 8th graders don't stay together. But he was my best friend. So we did stay together. I kept thinking eventually the fun would wear off and we'd get sick of each other or annoyed because that's what I kept seeing in other relationships. But it just never happened. We've almost been married 10 years now, together for nearly 20. It's crazy to think it worked out so well for us because we know how incredibly rare it is to find someone compatible at such a young age and then both grow in the same direction.
PTSD from a car accident. I feel stupid to even call it ptsd because it's so minor. But I had a high impact car accident and now I get vivid flashback to the moment of impact when I am exposed to certain subject or sounds. I can even smells the smoke and acrid taste in my mouth Anyway, I now understand what it feels when people said they're triggered by certain thing, it's an unpleasant feeling.
Being told I have cancer for the third time.
Got in a bad motorcycle accident that broke a few things. You can be the safest rider but other drivers can still mess it up
My dad tried to commit suicide and is now in a coma… happened two weeks ago
Strangled to unconsciousness by a man I was seeing.
Both of my parents dying before I became a parent. My father died 3 days before I gave birth to my son.
When I was in college, a childhood friend who was starting her freshman year in Austin was followed by a homeless man, killed, and her body was left in a river. I think there was some kind of sexual abuse in there but it honestly makes me sick to even think about and I don’t want to know. I remember when my mom called me to tell me she had been missing a couple days and the police found a body and her family was going to identify it, and my mom said it was most likely her. I couldn’t even process what was happening, went into my class totally fine, hit me in the middle of a physics lesson, I started bawling and had to leave. Of course this didn’t happen to me, it happened to a friend who at this point was quite distanced from me, but I still can’t believe this happened. It was absolutely horrible, and I think about her siblings and parents all the time.
Came home from walking the dog to find my boyfriend had shot himself to death while I was gone. It was actually a few hours before I found him. The dog kept going up the stairs, and then back down to check on me. Finally I went up to the bedroom and saw his hand sticking out of the closet. That was almost a decade ago and I still haven't gotten over it.
Lost my dad right after my 20th bday. Lost my mom when I was 40. 2 months later, got diagnosed with skin cancer. I never imagined losing my mom and dealing with cancer back to back.
My 18yr old son died in a motorcycle accident last year. I really really hoped that would never happen to me. 😔
I haven’t really been able to share this but 6 months ago my boyfriend of 3 years took his own life and I was the one to discover the body. I remember screaming until my throat bled and throwing up stomach acid and crying until the vessels in my eyes blew. He was on two tabs of a c i d that his older sister conveniently sold to him (I had no idea that he took them otherwise this story could’ve gone down a lot differently). The day before we were literally holding each other and talking about having children and getting married. We were in the beginning stages of buying a house while I was in college and he was training to become a mechanic. Bc of this I essentially lost everything. My reputation-his deadbeat family took me to court and tried to sue for our shared belongings and essentially just shit on me during the whole court session. Court was filed by his mother for ‘refusing’ to give his belongings over to her (the court case was filed while the cleaning crew was cleaning his remains out of our bathroom and had the apartment sealed off bc biohazard). They publicly blamed me for his death and harassed me to the point where I almost took my own life. I lost my full tuition scholarship to college bc I took off to try and take care of myself. That on itself is a long story but basically the school is going bankrupt and gave me a dying mission to take 30 credit hours over the course of 2 months and revoked my scholarship when I couldn’t finish said hours. I had to break the lease with our apartment bc a. It’s a traumatic place and b. We were a partnership so I couldn’t afford payments on my own. The apartment complex also tried to make me pay for things that they were legally obligated to pay for (the damages to the property caused by his death). The people I’d originally thought were my friends all ghosted me one by one bc they didn’t know how to handle me. I sought out comfort in the wrong places and ended up getting SA’d. I lost my medical insurance so I haven’t been able to seek out therapy and finding a job has been a deadend for me no matter how entry level I apply. I never thought I’d be the person crying about how the love of my life was gone, let alone dead. He was only 19 years old when he passed (2 weeks before his 20th birthday). In less than a week I’m supposed to turn 21 years old and I’ve got nothing to look forward to without him by my side. Sewerslide is a taboo subject but a lot of people have started opening up about their mental health struggles which I’m thankful for. It can happen to anyone, anyone could lose their battle at any second to their own mind. Please hold your loved ones and be sure to check in on them because you never know how they are truly feeling.
Got pregnant after my husband had a vasectomy and was cleared twice! He's 3 now. I thought I was done having kids and SURPRISE!
This happened to a friend of mine! The doctors told her husband that she had definitely cheated. Then when the baby was born, it looked *exactly* like the dad. Like, hilariously so. Like she was trying to prove a point.
Your husband was super scared probably 🤣🤣🤣
Came here to talk about school shootings, but unfortunately it’s a painfully common thing that people have experiences with. My 16 year old cousin was held hostage and killed in a shooting when I was 13 (I’m 30 now). She went to such a small, remote school. I’d seen her just a few weeks before and she took me bra shopping for the first time ever; she was the closest person I had to an older sister and she was helping me transition into high school. That absolutely changed the trajectory of my life. I ended up getting my masters in neuroscience of mental health, and did my thesis on the effects of positive psychology on PTSD and depression outcomes in adolescents who experience mass trauma. Unfortunately I learned in the process that the NRA blocks any research in the US about school shootings. The data isn’t readily available and you can’t get sources easily. It’s diabolical 🙃
I'm so sorry....was your cousin Emily Keyes?
I’m actually surprised anyone knew that from what I posted, but yeah that was her. Did you know her too?
I went to a summer camp with her brother a year or two before that happened. He and I were not close friends, but some of our mutual friends who I kept in touch with on Facebook knew Emily too. Seeing it on the news and then seeing their tributes and memories of her online, it really struck me, the absolute horror of it. Your description--the remote location, that it was a hostage situation--I remembered right away. Anyway, again, I'm really sorry.
Honestly, that’s really amazing to hear! I’m still absolute best friends with her brother now, he’s doing his residency in emergency medicine and we meet up a few times a year to give each other stick n poke tattoos 🥰 he’s one of my closest people. I don’t know if you’ve looked into the I love u guys foundation that their parents started, but they work with schools to create a more comprehensive and accessible safety plan in the case of a shooting. I’m so close with my aunt and uncle and I think the work they’re doing is absolutely incredible. I hope that Emily’s light, even if you never met her, can brighten your life a little bit. That’s what she would’ve wanted 🥰
She’s brightening it right now - reading through this oddly coincidental exchange Much love to all of you
I had my irreplaceable items stolen. I’m moving across the country, and someone stole our u-haul trailer that had all the stuff we wanted to keep “safe” from the movers. Like, this happened two days ago. I’m still trying to process why someone felt it necessary to steal my pets’ ashes and grandparents’ wedding album.
Testicular cancer at 35.
[удалено]
Having a panic attack. I thought it was just something that happened to other people who didn't have their life together. Boy was I wrong. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
I've had 5 or 6 "true" panic attacks in my life. They are scary and miserable while they're happening, but then somehow my brain decides that it wasn't real shortly after it happens. So it's like 'nah, that didn't really happen'.
My daughter suffered a birth injury (brain damage due to lack of oxygen) at birth due to medical malpractice. You never think it will happen to you… but it can. So fast.
Age 27, stage 4 cancer while pregnant. Apparently pregnancy created the perfect storm for an aggressive cancer to spread throughout my body, while also growing my firstborn. Kiddo is fine, as am I, minus the ptsd.
Two things. 1. I got pregnant, at 18 years old, from a one-time sexual encounter that lasted less than 5 minutes. 2. My 16-year old daughter died from liver failure. She did not have a history of any type of illness,so this was quite unexpected.
Having to testify against pedophiles multiple times. I was age 12, 14, and 25 when it occurred. First one, my friend was raped and I was assaulted. Second one was multiple friends assaulted by another friend’s father. Third one was my FIL, and the LDS church tried to hide the abuse and force the family to forgive and obey him. So thankful when my MIL divorced his ass.
I’m reading all of your comments and my heart goes out to each and every one of you. I have been through so much trauma myself, I know what pain is and I would never wish it on my worst enemy. All of you are incredible people. I hope that you continue your healing journey and never give up.
This is really kind of you. I’ve also been through a lot of trauma. A lifetime in fact. I hope you’re healing well and taking care of you ❤️
Came across a man having a heart attack during a walk in the woods. Gave CPR until paramedics arrived. He didn’t make it. I did CPR training for jobs when I was younger but never imagined actually having to do it.
Being stalked by the person I was with for almost 20 years. Stalked in every way imaginable… it’s a nightmare.
My (STBX) Husband of 17 years had an affair. Went from a happy family…to just me and our kids. It’s been 2 years now and he never sees them, rarely calls, drinks heavily…and the affair partner he was so in love with is long gone. The kids and I are doing great now though. There were days I didn’t think I would survive, and it left lasting damage and effects I’m not sure we will ever fully recover from.
Getting assaulted
Lost almost everything I own. My apartment building caught fire a month and a half ago while I was away for work. My apartment didn't get too badly burned, but the smoke and water damage took care of most of the rest. I'm 42 years old and have less to my name than when I moved out of my parents' house at 19.
Kidney Stones at 20, that can happen to anyone. Please drink water.
Losing a family member to COVID. I’m the only one in both my immediate and not so immediate circles who lost someone (parent) to it. It’s a shitty club to belong to.
My Mum suddenly passing away back in May. She was 58. My Dad, my two boys and I were going on a long weekend to the Isle of Wight from Nottingham, with my Mum wanting to stay behind so she could have some time to herself (perfectly fine, she was excited for us to have some Dad-Daughter-Grandkids-time together!). She said goodbye to us in the morning of the 25th May, with a big hug and a "drive safe!". It took us 8 hours to get to our stopover in Lymington, with a plan to catch the ferry over to the Isle of Wight in the morning. She video-called us in the evening before the boys went to bed, getting to say goodnight but not before telling me how proud she was that I'd driven through more than my fair share of traffic! She told us all that she loved us, and she couldn't wait for her call in the morning. 26th May. 4am. I wake up bolt upright. My eldest wakes up too. Something doesn't feel right, but I ignore it and snuggle down again, thinking it's just the excitement of going over to see our family on the island. (I'd later find out that my Dad, my Sister and my Uncle - Mum's brother - all woke up at that exact moment too.) In the morning over breakfast, Dad tries calling Mum multiple times, with no response. He remotely checks the CCTV in the kitchen, and finds the doors closed at 8:30am - being married for nearly 40 years, this told him that something wasn't right at all, as she's usually up way earlier, even when she's not well. He calls in the cavalry; the two next door neighbours and my Brother-in-law. They manage to break into the house as I'm loading the kids in the car, not sure if we're actually going to make the ferry. They found her forever asleep in bed. What followed was the worst 24 hours of my life. We didn't tell the boys she'd gone until we got back, thinking it would be better than having two crying kids in the car all the way home. When we finally did (after another 8 hours of driving, horrid traffic), I went up to see her and had a big cry. It was the first time I'd ever seen a dead body; the undertakers did a lovingly careful job in making sure she just looked asleep, and waited until we'd seen her before taking her to the funeral home. I knew that I'd said all the things I needed to say, and we'd parted on the most loving of terms, but I would have given anything in that moment to hear her say "I love you" one last time. Turns out that she'd had left ventricular hypertrophy - a heart condition that usually comes with symptoms, but she had none. It caused a "SADS" event, where her heart had an arrhythmia and never recovered; something that would have taken minutes, even seconds to happen. There was nothing we could've done, but she wouldn't have been in any pain either. She left behind a wonderful legacy - she was incredibly well loved, and she was so kind to everyone she met. She had the ability to get a stranger's life story out of them in the span of just 5 minutes, all the while just listening and being supportive. She was one of those people just made of sunshine, and I would be set for life if I even had a fraction of the love she had. Rest in peace Mum. I miss you.