2017
As a child and teenager, Michelle endured a series of events that was nothing short of soul crushing. She faced sexual abuse as a child and kept it a secret over the years. At the age of sixteen she acquired a brain disease that rendered her blind. She fell into a deep depression and turned to drugs, alcohol and self-harm to numb her pain but thankfully a miraculous turn of events saved her life.
2017
Lydia's life as a child was filled with family dysfunction, drugs, abuse and the death of her mother. She ended up in the foster care system before the age of 10 and would endure moving between 36 different foster homes. Lydia was left with a lack of identity, belonging, and self-worth. Living out of a car, she put herself through school and is determined to provide a loving home for her family.
2017
At the age of 12, Joey was coming to the realization that that he was gay. He confided in a "friend" who soon spread the word around school. Joey became the target of bullying and ridicule. His own mother and father could not accept that their son was gay and abandoned him. He was left with his unaccepting grandparents. The only way out, so he thought, was to take his own life.
2017
Eleanor had a hard time fitting in. She was severely bullied through elementary school. In high school, she developed paralyzing anxiety to the point where she couldn't breathe or enter a room full of people nor could she be touched. It took a lot but Eleanor blossomed into a happy young woman that now study's psychology in University and works in an institution assisting troubled youth.
At the age of 13, Lindsay was a cheerleader and cross country runner. But she became obsessed about her weight. She stopped eating and when she did, purging was the option. She was losing weight beyond what was normal while still competing and running until the point where she mutilated herself and ended up in an institution. Her miraculous recovery is truly an inspiring story to all youth.
2017
As far back as David could remember, he did not identify with being a little girl. He wished he were a boy and when puberty hit he could no longer deal with it. He told his parents that he identifies with being a boy and the moment he changed his name to David and decided that he is male, life started making sense. He felt a happiness he had never experienced before.