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.
‘What’s your kid’s biological mom’s name?’ Our kids’ sister had been placed with my best friend. My heart leaped.’: Couple adopts 5 siblings from foster care, ‘There was a greater purpose in it all’
“I picked up my phone and thought to myself, ‘Hmm, I wonder what she’s up to.’ I saw an image I thought was a mistake. It was baby number 4. ’Somehow, someway, send that baby to her siblings.’ I knew in my heart we were going to experience this all over again.”
‘I don’t want to die.’ Tears ran down his face as he held his little brother’s hand. I want to take away his pain.’: Mom says 7-year-old son with rare cancer is ‘a force to be reckoned with’
“He started wearing his winter coat throughout the day and complained he was cold. I noticed he had some swelling on his privates. In my gut, I had a bad feeling something just wasn’t right.”
‘If you withdraw care now, it’ll be easier to say goodbye.’ That’s not how love works. The looks of pity deepened.’: Mom births baby with Hypoxic Encephalopathy, ‘We never gave up hope’
“I sped to the house and scooped up her purple lipped, shivering body, then dropped to the floor and set her on top of my chest. We had to be on our top game 24 hours a day because if we slacked, she’d die. Discussions of death were as common as, ‘Hey, I emptied the dishwasher.’”
‘They didn’t want us to ‘infect’ other couples. ‘You aren’t paying attention to directions.’ I fought not to scream.’: Woman endures multiple miscarriages, ‘This body did the best it could’
“It took every fiber of my being not to scream when it started, not to break down. They messed up and didn’t get everything. Other than my husband, no one knew.”
‘This won’t change his love for you.’ I was deep in wedding planning. They MUST have the wrong person.’: Woman diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis travels world, ‘Fear doesn’t control me’
“Dizzy and still very much half-deaf, she insisted I see her doctor. ‘That can’t be MY brain.’ No one could agree on what was happening to my body. I felt cheated.”
‘My head jostled and my neck cracked. Now I was blocking traffic. No one even tried to help.’: Woman details journey with CHILD Syndrome, ‘I turned moping into passion’
“The minute I left, I immediately felt eyes on the back of my head. Trust me, they weren’t admiring my beauty. I felt exposed.”
‘This is hell,’ my husband sobbed. We shouldn’t have googled his potential diagnosis. ‘It can’t be real!’: Son diagnosed with rare Noonan Syndrome, ‘Our feelings for you never changed’
“Your growth would probably be slower than other babies. You might have trouble walking or talking or eating or going to school. We wouldn’t know until we knew. One thing we knew: you are scrappy as hell.”
‘He had red dots all over his body. ‘He needs to be seen in the ER right away.’ No one would look at us. I was in shock.’: Mom of 9-month-old with Acute Myeloid Leukemia says ‘We’ve been given a second chance’
“You know it isn’t good when the doctor sits down at eye level with you. Josh and I took turns holding Holden and crying. We could feel how they all pitied us. We prepared to fight.”
‘I thought you’d be more excited.’ I had a pit in my stomach. I wonder who it was that we lost.’: Mom navigates secondary infertility, rainbow baby, ‘It all lead up to one moment’
“I bought a shirt that said, ‘Shhh, I have a secret, I’m going to be a big brother’ for my son to wear but I forgot it. I am a very superstitious person and this was the first bad omen I felt. All the blood rushed out of my head.”
‘She’s missing a bone in her leg.’ We had an impossible decision to make. I kissed her little broken foot goodbye.’: Mom amputates infant daughter’s leg, ‘She’s our saving grace’
“The doctors hit us with a heavy blow. ‘She won’t be able to walk. Ever.’ We tried to memorize how she looked with two little legs.”