15+ Photos That Give Us Hope and the Strength to Survive Even a Thousand Storms

We all have our ups and downs and at the very end, we all learn something new about ourselves. You might become a parent after many years and finally feel the delight of parenting, or your friend might send you a fluffy kitty just to lift up your mood knowing that you’re going through something. It is truly hard to even imagine what the people in this article went through, but here they are, happy as ever.

Bright Side collected 18 stories about people who went through tough times but haven’t lost their hope. Their efforts and will are worth the applause!

1. “9 years ago, I had no reason to live, but now I’m my week old son’s favorite place to fall asleep.”

2. “I told my friend I was having a bad day and he sent me this, I hope it makes your day better too.”

3. “After a 10-year custody battle, today I gained full rights.”

4. “After 4 years of struggling with infertility I finally have the family I dreamed of.”

5. “...This man is reading the Lord of the Rings to his children and it reminded me of my mom. I hope to be that kind of parent someday.”

6. “I dropped out of college due to mental illness. I’m starting back up a semester early because my cat brought my smiles back.”

7. “This is my cousin Gareth. He lost his leg to cancer 3 years ago, now has 15 lung tumors, and is terminally ill at age 26. Last week he completed the London Marathon.”

8. “I suffer from severe depression. I traveled more than 6,000 mi (9,800 km) for a solo vacation in L.A. I haven’t been this happy in years.”

9. “I struggled for the past 7 years with a depression that put me into a mental institution multiple times.”

“This last year I’ve greatly improved myself physically and mentally, and I just graduated and got my bachelor’s degree. Never thought I’d live to see this point.” crypticdarkness / Reddit

10. “My parents only got our cats because I was depressed at that time and had been asking for years.”

11. “One year ago today, I finished my last (hopefully) chemo session. Photo from that day added for extra fire power.”

12. “My daughter won a medal at the Special Olympics. There was a time when doctors told us she wouldn’t survive infancy. Very happy weekend!”

13. “After a long fought custody battle, today I became the legal guardian of my little brother and we’re both just a little happy.”

14. “My incredible father got up and stood on his own today!! He took 7 steps and my heart is so happy. (Heart aneurysm and stroke).”

15. “Last year I vowed to get the better of my anxiety. This little man is the result.”

16. “After 4 years of infertility, I’m 28 weeks pregnant.”

“My dog, Arthur, loves to put his ear right on my belly. I think he can hear the baby’s heartbeat.” handstandmonkey / Reddit

17. “We lost our first pregnancy in 2018. Last week, this happened!”

18. He’s proof that miracles happen!

“2 years ago my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. After undergoing chemo, surgery, and radiation, she is cancer-free but the doctors told us she would not be able to conceive naturally. 10 months later she gave birth to beautiful baby girl! Life is good!” binary_shark / Reddit

Do you have inspiring stories like these from your life? How did you manage to overcome the situation? Please share them down below, we want to read what you have to say!