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.
‘I begged, ‘Please cut my leg off!’ I was drowning in pain while doctors fought over my body like a science experiment.’: Mom becomes amputee after 10-year battle, ‘Love is everything’
“Being in pain for 10 years, I felt like I was going crazy. The pain was as if someone had lit my whole leg on fire while also stabbing it.”
‘It might be something nasty.’ I sat in a waiting room, surrounded by men 40 years my senior. Nothing can prepare you for this.’: Ballet dancer raises awareness for bladder cancer
“I thought I had a UTI. ‘We have to remove it just in case.’ I couldn’t believe this horrible thing had been growing in my body.”
‘I lost control of my legs. ‘Call an ambulance!’ My tongue started to go down my throat. The pain was excruciating.’: Chronic illness warrior shares journey with fibromyalgia, POTS
“’Will you be able to drive? Work full time? Have children?’ I struggled to accept my fate. Secretly, I hoped I’d recover.”
‘I gave my new daughter her first little pink toothbrush. ‘It’s time to brush, sweetie!’ She asked, ‘What’s that?’ Surely she was joking.’: Mom says ‘adoption isn’t for the faint of heart’
“She studied the contents of her plate. ‘Why are you feeding me GRASS?’ I screamed in my mind. How could she not know what salad looks like?”
‘Mary Kate’s eye is drooping a little. Do you see that?’ I felt the air leaving my body.’: Brain cancer warrior passes away days before second birthday, ‘She’s guiding us every step of the way’
“One day, she could barely open her left eye. You know those situations in your life when everything changes and you didn’t even see it coming? This was one of those.”
‘We met him in the parking lot. Our kid was leaving for 8 hours, going who knows where with God knows who.’: Foster parents celebrate reunification, ‘Every awkward moment was worth it’
“We were DEVASTATED. The whiplash of emotions was too much. ‘I have every intention of keeping you in her life.’ It wasn’t typical in foster care.”
‘We have your husband.’ A pit formed in my stomach. Looking back, my heart hadn’t really begun to break yet.’: Widow shares ‘the pits and peaks of grief’ after losing husband
“The nurse drew the curtain back and I crumbled. His big feet stuck out from the sheets. I bent and kissed his head three times as we did every time we left each other.”
‘I waited 39 years to be a mom. I’m not going to waste a single moment.’: Mom teaches self-love to daughter
“I wanted her to have my heart and her dad’s wit. I did NOT want her to hear the ugly words I had once told myself. In order to be different for her, I needed to be different for me.”
‘He’s the perfect child for us!’ We noticed Little Man was struggling. I felt like we were ripping him away from all he knew.’: Same-sex couple share adoption journey
“We saw the profile of a little boy who had the most infectious smile. This was it. Our son was within reach.”
‘You treat them like they’re yours!’ She said it as if it were a bad thing. I made the heartbreaking decision to get ‘too attached.’: Foster mom celebrates reunification, ‘Every moment of doubt was worth it’
“Day in and day out, we kissed their boo-boos, cuddled them to sleep, and read them stories. My heart broke when I thought about the moments their parents were missing.”