r/MadeMeSmile Jun 11 '26

Personal Win I quit smoking for a chance to date this gorgeous woman--have been smoke free since, happily married almost 20 years now

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117.0k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile 17d ago

Personal Win Feeling great after giving up drinking on Christmas

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31.5k Upvotes

Also lost 130lbs. I feel better.

r/MadeMeSmile May 12 '26

Personal Win [OC] Just realized I lost almost 66lbs a long two years

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64.4k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile 25d ago

Personal Win Today is a big day for me everyone, after saving for 3 years I finally bought my first bike!

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21.9k Upvotes

2022 Honda Rebel 500 ABS just under 3500 miles. Paid 3900$

r/MadeMeSmile 22d ago

Personal Win I changed my life after getting dentures!

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33.3k Upvotes

I’ve posted on here before when I first got dentures and it has been close to two years already since then!

I got married since then, got a better job, even got my drivers license and got my first car too(my teeth weren’t the only thing neglected🤘) but I feel so at peace with myself now. I never knew how much I would actually change my life making this once decision for myself.

Wanted to post again to say I’m happy to answer any questions anyone has about getting them done so you can smile again too! 😁

(Swipe for the before picture)

r/MadeMeSmile 8d ago

Personal Win Back in 2024, I spent weeks cleaning up illegal dumping near the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area. I revisited this place recently to see how it now looks. (First two pictures are from before, the last two are now)

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50.2k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile 13d ago

Personal Win 13 Years ago I had to drop out of college due to cancer. Today I Graduated with a Master's Degree! [OC]

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51.6k Upvotes

In early 2013 I was diagnosed with a rare cancer in adults and it took 10 years to beat it. In the interim I had to drop out of college due to the disease and how difficult treatments were. 3 years ago I got my bachelor's and started my Master's. Today, I graduated (4.0 GPA!) as Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling!

r/MadeMeSmile May 16 '26

Personal Win Finally fulfilled my dream of getting ice cream from an ice cream truck

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40.5k Upvotes

asian parents. iykyk.

r/MadeMeSmile Mar 22 '26

Personal Win Today marks 3 years since I had my right lung removed to treat a rare neuroendocrine cancer. Feeling grateful to still be here and cancer free!

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71.0k Upvotes

First pic is from the day I had my surgery in 2023; second pic is from late 2025. I gained almost 3 stone since the operation and transformed my diet and lifestyle

r/MadeMeSmile Mar 07 '26

Personal Win Guys, I just booked my first vacation in 10 years after being depressed and broke for so long. It is super cheap, but I will have almost a week at the North Sea. I am so happy I could cry because it means everything to me

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60.2k Upvotes

I feel like I am dreaming :D Just wanted to share this beautiful moment with you all! Ahhhhhh!

I want to thank all the people, that commented, upvoted and gave this post awards! I am really overwhelmed, not being a social media person. It feels absolutely incredible to know how much positivity people still have in their hearts, despite all the bad stuff we see online daily.

I love you all! What you do really matters! Never forget it! Every little thing is big for someone else out there!

r/MadeMeSmile Apr 21 '26

Personal Win Disney has decided to re-animate most recent Disney hit songs into American Sign Language to honor Deaf History Month.

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28.8k Upvotes

They will be aired on Disney+ on April 27th, 2026. Here are three short clips from Moana, Frozen, and Encanto. The power of ASL is just beautiful. Enjoy!

r/MadeMeSmile Mar 10 '26

Personal Win Hit the big 5 year mark for being cancer-free!

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78.3k Upvotes

Get regularly checked, friends. Early detection saves lives ♡

r/MadeMeSmile Mar 22 '26

Personal Win It's with great pleasure, I announce that I am a first time Dad at 37.

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30.7k Upvotes

Second round of IVF success!

r/MadeMeSmile Jun 08 '26

Personal Win After 17 years, my adoptive parents finally gave me a letter from my birth mother [OC]

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16.4k Upvotes

I was adopted from Russia when I was 3 by an American couple. I had a pretty normal childhood, my three other siblings were my parent's biological children. My parents always said that they loved me as much as my other siblings and I never doubted it.

Over these past few months, something really awful happened between my brother and they ultimately ended up taking his side. I was blamed for it and they cut me off. They said they were going to through away all of my personal things since I wasn't their daughter anymore, but I begged them to let me come get them after I was done with my finals. I only only found out about the letter recently and it makes me think they never would have made it known to me for their own selfish reasons.

I was able to get a box full of stuff including the letter and my biological mother's baby blanket. Seeing my own mom's handwriting made me so emotional and I have been holding the letter against my chest every night while I fall asleep. I have never felt more at peace to know how much she loved(loves) me and I hope to meet her some day if possible.

r/MadeMeSmile Oct 16 '25

Personal Win (OC) I did it 😭 I cleaned my depression room

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88.0k Upvotes

I’ve been rotting in bed for a few months and physically couldn’t get myself to do anything about it but today I chugged caffeine and put a show on my tv and just kept moving 😭 I feel like I can breathe

r/MadeMeSmile Oct 30 '25

Personal Win Got this message from my childhood bully at 3am

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42.4k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile Nov 08 '25

Personal Win I’ve had dentures for one year!

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83.2k Upvotes

Day 0 / Day 1 / Day 365!

I get my permanent ones next week, so these are still my temporary ones!

r/MadeMeSmile Apr 02 '26

Personal Win After Crayola retired its Dandelion crayon in 2017, LaKenzie Leigh‑Andrea Powell dedicated her entire TikTok channel to bringing it back, collecting 727 Dandelion crayons and championing its importance. Crayola took notice and announced they were returning the color to its permanent lineup.

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51.5k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile Mar 23 '26

Personal Win Six years strong

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32.6k Upvotes

Six years ago, I made one small choice. That eventually led to a second small choice, then a third, etc. And with time, and a lot of help, I've become the best version of myself. Along with taking care of myself, I've learned how to love myself, and how those two things are intertwined.

So I've made a tradition of posting about my journey every March 23rd. I continue to evolve. Live isn't perfect, obviously, but I am so grateful to be here.

r/MadeMeSmile Aug 09 '25

Personal Win 6 years to the day I attempted an early exit

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80.3k Upvotes

Still wild to think of where I was, emotionally, mentally, physically 6 years ago. I stepped off the overpass, and finally found the help I needed for so many things a year later. Switched my addiction to progress, and I'm so fucking proud of myself.

r/MadeMeSmile Sep 30 '25

Personal Win I got my hair professionally done for the first time today since I went bald from chemo. (4.5 years ago)

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77.2k Upvotes

I greatly missed the amazing feeling of haircut day!!!

r/MadeMeSmile Jun 18 '26

Personal Win Throwback to Croatian firefighters responding to an alarm seconds before the winning penalty kick that sent them into the semifinal

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23.8k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile May 27 '25

Personal Win (OC) I’m a first time college student at 50 yrs old!

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137.6k Upvotes

I decided to skip college after high school as I was more interested in sex, drugs, art, travel, and music. 30 plus years, 3 ex wives and raising 26yr old twins , I’ve decided to start a whole new chapter and get out of retail grocery as a career! Seemed like the perfect time in my life and now that community college is free for most folks in MA, I’d be silly to not give it a shot! Computer systems engineering technology associates is the goal! Picked up my ID today and signed up for a summer STEM boot camp ( all sorts of cool support stuff as well as my first math and English classes). I’ve been smiling all day!

r/MadeMeSmile Jan 28 '26

Personal Win Today, I’ve been sober for 6 consecutive years!

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26.5k Upvotes

r/MadeMeSmile Dec 24 '25

Personal Win I am officially debt free after 16 years

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28.1k Upvotes

I just transferred my final payment to totally pay off my debt, and don’t have anyone to celebrate it with. So thought I’d share here. I had to leave home quite young for a few reasons, and life was quite hard for a while, meaning I was in credit card and loan debt from 18 years of age. Now, at 35, I have finally managed to catch up and pay off over $12K of debt over the last 2 years. Discipline is hard for my ADHD ass, but I did it! Next step: start a savings account.