She was shamed for having her period, and now one 18-year-old woman is calling out India for its menstruation taboo.
First-person essays
Everyone has a story to tell. That's something we firmly believe here at CNN. The essays on this page come from regular people around the world with extraordinary stories and experiences to share. They've been curated and edited by CNN iReport staff, but they're told in the writers' own voices. Ready to share your own story? Submit an essay via CNN iReport.
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Take a look at our best essay-writing tips, and then upload your essay and a photo. Don't worry if you don't have professional writing experience -- our editors will work with you to make your piece sing. If we're interested in publishing, we'll be in touch.
I am a Russian-speaking Ukrainian. I am ethnically half-Russian, as my father was born in Siberia. I spent much of my life in Donetsk, a Russian-speaking area of Ukraine. Now I live in Kiev.
"You've probably seen them bagging groceries," said the geneticist attempting to explain to my wife and me that our 1-day-old daughter, Ellie, had Down syndrome and what that meant for her future.
I identify with many of my gay and lesbian friends in that I've always felt I should be honest about who I was. I don't think it's right to have to say, "Well, we'll have kids someday," just as I don't think it's right for a gay man to have to say, "Someday I'll meet a nice girl and settle down."
The day my daughter Marley was born, I went straight to the nursery and held her for well over two hours. I just held her and cried because I had never experienced such a love for anyone or anything in my life.
Every morning, while I open granola bars and pass them to my children in the back seat, I feel a familiar pang of guilt reminding me that a good mother would have made them scrambled eggs and toast.
What is the worst thing that could happen to wedding plans? The caterer could suddenly go bankrupt? The weather could turn bad? Can you imagine having to worry that a rocket could blow up during the reception?
When I first arrived in Rwanda's capital in 2012, I deliberately did not visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did not want that experience to influence how I approached the country and its people.
By the time I entered fourth grade, Dad's case of Bell's palsy had improved. But his smile still hadn't returned. I tried convincing myself that it didn't matter and that smiling was overrated. So I abstained from making grins of any kind.
I am the mother of three amazing children. Before having children, I was a firm believer that guns were dangerous. But after 10 years, I now have a gun in my home.