What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

My (now ex) husband and I had been to the theatre and when we got back to the car park we saw a young was urinating on the side of our car. My husband went over to him and just as the young man went to swing a punch at him I threw myself between them, shouting ‘that’s my husband you are about to punch’. The man was so surprised he just turned and walked away.

When I was 12 , inexperienced , I got on my friends pony, which then bolted for the gate she had left slighly open, I nearly lost my legs. Never went near a horse after that.

Years later on holiday in Morroco , the family wanted to go
on a Camel ride, I said I would watch , but the camels lying on the ground looked safe so I decided I would partake. As the animal rose I was overcome with fear, nausea and burst into tears, the handlers were so sweet and I managed to stay on.
It was an unforgettable 2 hours trek in the desert. I have
never been on an animal again!

I think the bravest thing I ever did was to hold my daughter aged 42 whilst she took her last breath after fighting cancer for 2 years . Leaving behind 2 children . X

Ringing my Son-in-Law to ask him to tell my Daughter, while they lived in America, her Father had died,she was pregnant at the time.
The most dreadful thing I have ever done,not brave but it took courage.

In 2005, following some very difficult family stuff, I went to Thailand on my own and travelled round for 3 months. I did a Thai massage course in Chiang Mai. I was often asked "where is your Mr?" and then being given the best table in the restaurant when they found out I was on my own! It was scary, liberating, nerve wracking and fun.

Not as courageous as most of you lovely people but I did a wing walk on my 60th birthday. I was petrified but it was a gift so I had to overcome my fears.

Lillypond x

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Agreeing to have my Grandad put on the Liverpool Pathway. It was a leap of faith that he wouldn't suffer and it was the right thing to do. It was one of the worst decisions I have ever had to make.

Telling my children I was leaving their father.

Talking through a caravan door to a patient with a loaded shotgun. We had searched the barns expecting to see the hanging body, as we had been sent a drawing of a hung body. I was the senior nurse so I went to support my charge nurse. It was not supportive to let her go on this search alone, remember thinking ‘what if they shoot me in the face where this door is ajar’. Well they didn’t, several months later they did end their life.

Pearlsaminger fabulous, well done, good on you. Xxx

Sexually, mentally and physically abused along with my twin sister in childhood. We got through it because we had one another to love and support only to lose her to cancer at 45..... My life still feels empty without my beautiful sister....

Most of these have me in tears...Lillypond my heart breaks for you...

Taking over the running of my husband’s business after his death.

lilypond and many others who have been through horrendous things. This thread has been awe inspiring to read of your bravery.

I don't think I am very brave. Probably things like diving off the high board - once! and driving a minibus (never driven one before) carrying all 16 of my inlaws' descendants, (one was pregnant), to their golden wedding party 60 miles away - and getting them all home with no mishaps in December, in the dark. Phew It felt brave.

I tackled an intruder once which was foolhardy. I ended up on the ground and he got away.

Dealing with mice, spiders, wasps and bees and a pigeon which came down the chimney last weekend, when there is nobody but me to do it so needs must.

Got married to someone of far superior intelligence, when I knew I would have to do a lot of social mixing with profs and the odd Lord. Also, provide dinners for them and "Smalltalk".much against my parent's guidance.

I’m petrified of heights but on holiday in Australia I climbed Sydney Harbour bridge as my hubby had always wanted to do it and didn’t want to go without me.

I divorced my husband when I was nearly 25 and had 2 children under 4 years of age. I had to move house 3 times, with both boys and without any help from family or friends.
I've done several brave things that I wouldn't have said made me brave at the time. I've travelled alone to Ibiza for 10 years running, to the same hotel. I also flew alone to Valencia and Menorca.
In recent times I had to undergo chemotherapy as an inpatient for 6 weeks (I had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia) and I went through that entire journey by myself. I don't know if any of these things make me brave but they have shaped the person I am now.
And last year I published a book which is an account of the leukaemia journey, and this Sunday just gone, I've published another one - my cat wrote his diaries when he was a kitten!

walking out on my 2nd marriage to a man who turned out to want a replacement for his mother his 1st wife had warned me . he refused to do anything around the house would not even cut the grass

Did run off the side of a mountain in Turkey to go paragliding, at the age of 65, was a wonderful experience, would definitely do it again, my next one to go off the bucket list is to do a sky jump from a plane.

When I was 12 years old and living in Yorkshire, I was invited by a schoolfriend who had relocated with his family to Kent to visit them. I told my father I would be all right to go on my own and he trusted me. I took a train to Kings Cross, a tube (never been on one before) to Charing Cross, and a train to Maidstone. I did not know that the train split there. I was on the wrong half. After a few stations I realised my mistake, and got off. The stationmaster took pity on me, and asked his friend to drive me to the correct station, which he did and refused to accept my offer of my pocket money as a reward. I look back on it now and can envisage all the awful things that might have happened. Five years later I took the train to London, one way, and stayed. Now retired, living in Kent, 3 daughters, 14 grandchildren, and 16 greatgrandchildren. Now THAT'S brave!

At age 20 refusing to leave my severely disabled newborn daughter at the hospital and bringing her home against advice to die. I was told " If she were to live she'll never amount to anything - go home, forget you ever had her and start again!" Oh thank God attitudes have changed.
Against all the odds she didn't die and is 43 now and although her life is limited by our standards she is very happy living in her little bungalow with minimal help. She has little to smile about but is ALWAYS joyful and the happy heart of our big loving family.

To those who say that they're scared and not brave - if you're scared but you get through an awful situation without collapsing then that's being brave. I fell in front of a class of children and cut my hand on a broken glass. I got the children back to class into the care of the TA, and off to the nurse without crying. The same when I cut my knee badly with my 3 year old son in tow. Had 10 stitches, drove 45 mins home, sent my son off to play then cried all over my husband!

Moved to France to run a gite business during pandemic and Brexit. Minimal French but lots of enthusiasm. Miss family and NHS nothing else..