Secrets will always find a way out. Every family... every person has them. So be prepared to divulge. Often we learn that divulging is a necessary for the world. We all have demons, secrets and skeletons, if only we could discuss with others. Some secrets are crazier than others, that is part of the fun.
Redditor u/wangalex1 wanted to know who was willing to discuss some family tales long hidden by asking...
What part of your family history is interesting, rare, scary or disturbing?
Send the Messages....
My great grandfather fought for the US in WWII and was a member of the guerrilla resistance movement when the Japanese occupied the Philippines. His oldest daughter (my great aunt), at 11 years old, would smuggle messages written on rice paper so she could eat them if she was captured, carrying a gun under her skirt because the Japanese wouldn't search her since she was a kid. TiCup
Call Dateline....
GiphyNot me, but my stepfather. His grandmother kind of lost it when her husband died oh, so she took an axe and murdered several of her children while they were in their beds. Obviously my stepfather's mother wasn't one of them.
We used to go visit his grandmother after she was too old to be in the State mental hospital and was in just a regular nursing home. I never knew her backstory until I was older.
That also made his mother understandably a bit off. After his father, his mothers third husband died she got a bit extreme on the punishment of the children. My stepfather told me that minor infractions such as talking back would result in being locked in the basement with nothing but a bowl of water and bowl of leftovers left at the top of the stairs. The only light would be from under the door. He said they would sometimes be kept there for several days. tchad78
Propaganda.
Father's brother was high school kid who was part of partisan resistance during ww2. he participated in huge actions against the occupier, distributing anti-nazi propaganda, planting bombs and eventually burning down football stadium nazis started pulling apart for wood, to build a concentration camp. he was captured, tortured and shot in front of others as an example.
in the middle of our capitol city. he never disclosed names of his comrades, his last words were: you can kill me but you'll never get the names of my friends from me. witnesses said he was always smiling and comforting others, even when he was so beaten up he couldn't walk. there's a movie about this stadium burning and they named a school after him. a high schooler! prodigal_dolphin
Bad hombres.
My family was the first upper class Mexican family in their part of south Texas. Founded a Mexican border town and only crossed the border to America after my great grandfather murdered someone in a land dispute. Broad daylight, center of town. He owned the bridge across the border, paid off all the guards. Bad hombres. TheProdigalBootycall
"his legs"
GiphyNot going too much into details, but a distant relative is a very well known notorious murderer in my country.
What I find disturbing about it though is that during one of the news reels of him it looks like he Is trying to act the victim (he is shaking in sadness that "his legs" are barely able to hold him up. spicypeenie
Time for some DNA searches....
My father might have a half brother in another city because at that time my grandfather might have been cheating. A very old relative actually said that she saw this infant and he even looked like my dad. No one can confirm though, and the baby of course took the other man's last name so he can't be found. My grandfather was quite the character: he was in the army, he used to gamble and he was kinda charming so I wouldn't be surprised if this story is true. -cloudid
Bomber....
GiphyMy grandfather was a bomber pilot in WWII in the RAF. What's disturbing is he had a perfectly kept log book which I now have, except the pages around d-day have been so perfectly removed we only noticed last year. The MOD won't tell us why/ what the pages contain. alxwx
Russia's is looking....
My great great grandma was an adviser to the last queen of Russia, the queen refused to pay her so my ancestor stole a bunch of stuff from the palace. These items have been passed down in my family and my family's nobility status was revoked after the queen realized that her jewelry, silverware, and a vase were missing. Halfbreed360
The Bad Guy?
My earliest known ancestor was a bandit. He was apparently pretty good at it too, since he managed to feed 11 kids. Around WW1, we also had one guy just randomly find an antique pistol buried in the ground, mishandle it and shoot himself, then die because of his wound getting infected. oreganoli
The Red Army.
My grandfather was conscripted to act as a courier/messenger boy by the Red Army in Stalingrad when he was 13. They gave him a captured German pistol to defend himself with, and when the city was finally liberated they took it back off him and just let him return to his normal life like no big deal.
At the same time the other end of the country, my grandmother was living through the siege of Leningrad and once saw a soldier guarding a dead body because if he didn't guard it then somebody would come along and eat it.
And on the lighter end of the story: my father once drove a tank through someone's house in Afghanistan. BearsBirdsBooks
WWII
My grandfather was in WWII and stormed Normandy, survived and went on to help liberate the Gunskirchen Lager concentration camp. He also ran across a field and cut down a German flag while getting shot at so he would have something to give his children. And that's how my dad has a giant Nazi flag that we definitely can't display, lol. Char1ieA1phaWhiskey
back to Joplin.....
When I was 4 years old my family (besides my dad) lived happily in Cincinnati. For the first time in 2 years my dad calls my mom and asks if he can have a visit with me and she agreed. He drove all the way from Joplin (southwest) MO all the way to Ohio. When he got his hands on me he picked me up and drove me all the way back to Joplin.
He kidnapped me from my mom because his girlfriend wanted children and found out he had one. They had money and my mom was poor so the lied their way through gaining custody of me. cuterecluse9999
Maybe one day we'll make up our minds.
I was born in America, but live in Italy. My father and grandfather were born in Italy, but emigrated to America. My great grandfather was born in America, but emigrated to Italy. My great great grandfather was born in Italy, but emigrated to America.
Despite emigrating 4 times, all members of my family for 5 generations have, at one time or another, lived in the same 2 US counties and the same Italian province.
Maybe one day we'll make up our minds. sibuttadopo
The Tree....
Slightly disturbing today, but common historically.
My family has lived in the same area for several hundred years. This means I am generally related to people in my tree more than one way. My parents are 4th cousins, my paternal grandparents are 3rd cousins (twice actually), my maternal grandfather's parents are 3rd cousins, and I have 4 less 6th great grandparents because of in-family relations. My tree is a mess, as a result. unqualified_frickle
History..
GiphyAn ancestor from my paternal family came to 'Murica on the mayflower, and happened to be the person to fall off and survive so that's cool. CupcakeCrusader2
Pretending....
My great- grandfather managed the invasion of Nazi-germany in Paris in 1940. He was a high ranked officer there, he even has a small Wikipedia note and was executed at the subsequent Nuremberg trials. After that my family pretended to be jewish 'til this day as a precautionary measure against consequences, stigma and so on.
Then my grandfather and grandmother were very important personalities in East Germany (DDR, they worked in a high position at the Stasi) and traded new born children from system enemies to people loyal to the system, who can't have a baby for whatever reason. So yeah, my family is messed up in a lot of ways, but we're not allowed to talk about it and have to pretend being jewish forever or so. InflexusSerafina
"the black angel"
I only found this out a couple of years ago and found it pretty interesting. My mother's side of the family are from the Netherlands and when it became occupied by Germany my great-grandfather became part of the Dutch resistance. He was known as "the black angel" and hid many people, including children, under the kitchen floorboards and smuggled them to London. Eventually Nazi soldiers would come looking for him and he would also have to hide under the floorboards. waldeinsamkeit_1
At 16...
My aunt got pregnant by her stepdad at 16, had the kid, the whole family broke apart. Her mom went to a mental hospital, her siblings were out of touch with her for 20 years or more. Now they are all fine again and new generations never hear of that story. What bums me out the most is that they broke off contact with a pregnant 16-year-old instead of sending the fool to jail! MinuteJuice
"coincidence"
Not me but my best friend
His grandfather was a deputy of DOPS which was the brazilian Gestapo during the dictatorship and it is proven that he was a torturer.... gnarly stuff.
But that's not the end of it, the Nazi Dr. Mengele fled to Brazil after WWI and lived freely for a very long time until he had a heart attack in a isolated beach that is 60km away from where my friend's grandfather worked and lived.
In the official story of course for some totally accidental "coincidence" my friend's grandfather found his body and identified him as Dr. Mengele in a isolated beach.
But yeah, his family put two and two together and they pretty much are sure that he was friends with Mengele, If you want to google my friend's grandfather his name is Aparecido Laertes Callandra. nicowilder
The Worker.
My great grandfather practically lifted the entire family out of poverty, he was a coal miner, but worked as a taxi driver on the side. He also took his kids school from home and back.
My grandfather and Grandmother became one of the first bankers in the region. As such they were known by everyone around town.
If you go there now, it's one of the most educated places in the country, I asked my dad how a coal miner town became this way.
He said "Because a worker knows that, if his children live no better then he does, they'll work the exact same way he has." CamperKuzey
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.