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We are all of us more alike than we are different

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Welcome to the moth podcast. I'm Chloe Sammon your host for this week

When I think about what it takes to be an engaged human being standing up for what you believe in tops the list

To push for what you think is right requires the bravery to find your voice and the conviction to raise it so others can hear and respond

In this week's episode we have two stories of standing up and being heard

Our first storyteller is Jan Staplman

Jan told this at a story slam in Denver where the theme of the night was love hurts. Here's Jan live at the moth

Little tiny bit more

I was 17 years old lying in a nightmare of pain in a hospital delivery room

I was surrounded by people dressed in white

But I was alone and terrified I

Didn't know anything about giving birth and obviously even less about birth control and

Nobody was explaining anything to me

I weighed about 80 some pounds when I got pregnant at age 16 because I wanted so much to look like Twiggy

But I managed to get birth that night to almost nine pound baby girl

My baby's father who literally was the boy next door said we'll get married

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