Emily Richey is a graduate of Pace University NYC. She has written and edited for multiple online platforms, including Love What Matters. She spends her free time petting stray cats.
‘Can you open your home to two little boys?’ They taught us more than we could ever teach them.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘We wouldn’t trade a minute’
“We nervously said yes. The next day, these two little brothers were dropped off at our house.”
‘My husband said, ‘Tamara, are we really doing this? We could have twins.’: Woman shares ‘rollercoaster’ infertility journey
“I blamed myself, work, stress, my body, my doctor. I held onto that anger to get me through the grief. I was left questioning everything. I said, ‘We’re really doing this.’”
‘I called my mom, sobbing, ‘We have the visas and we’re going to get our baby!’: Mom shares international adoption journey
“She’d been abandoned in the NICU. She was so tiny, 8 pounds at 18 months old, and had the most beautiful eyes. We knew she was placed with us for a divine reason.”
‘I don’t like playing with my kids, and that’s okay.’: Mom urges ‘you are exactly what your child needs’
“The pressure to be the ‘perfect’ mom is exhausting. I’ve learned to acknowledge WHAT I do well and leave the rest alone.”
‘At 14 years old, I knew something wasn’t right. Something inside me was changing.’: Man details mental health journey
“I vowed to make a change, not only for my loved ones, but to give myself a chance.”
‘I googled ‘losing motor skills.’ I thought I just had carpal tunnel. My arms are near completely paralyzed.’: Woman battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease shares journey
“One night when I was washing my hair, I couldn’t hold on to the shampoo. I finally decided it was time to see a doctor.”
‘We don’t know anything for sure, but…’ The doctor sat down with a grave expression.’: Mom gives birth to son with ultra-rare chondrodysplasia punctata
“I was swiftly and abruptly thrust into an entirely different world than any of my friends. I sat alone in the grief and stewed.”
‘I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I was there for everyone else but not for myself.’: Limb difference advocate urges ‘stop comparing yourself to others’
“I was a people pleaser. ‘If I put their needs before mine, maybe they’ll like me more.’ Deep down, I wasn’t happy with myself.”
‘My lungs were running out of space. One by one, experts turned me away. I knew there was purpose in the pain.’: Osteogenesis Imperfecta warrior urges ‘life is worth fighting for’
“‘The risks are too great. You should just live with what you have left.’ I still felt in my heart this was something I needed to do.”
‘You’re better off with someone younger,’ I joked, certain he’d wake up one day, realize how old I am, and run as fast as he can.’: Divorcee shares powerful love story, ‘Time is just a number’
“‘Forties is IT! Who wants an old woman like me?’ Then I met a younger man. A man who didn’t care about my age at all.”