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 was holding my 4th pregnancy test. I know, birth control is a thing. I had to consider another adoption.’: Single mom pursues open adoption twice, ‘I was scared this would define me’
“I felt free. I felt like I was following my inner warrior as she told me how to do the right thing for this child. I had no job, no savings, and was in no place to raise a baby alone. I wanted more for this sweet child.”
‘Our seniors are still staying home. We wanted to do something meaningful. It was so worth it!’: Mom group hosts car parade for senior center, ‘The world could use some kindness’
“We were able to love on them from our cars and sent lots of smiles. Our children learned to be generous with their time and how to be kind.”
‘It’s a girl, but they saw something.’ I was told, ‘You only have a week to decide.’ I saw her and my heart dropped.’: Mom to daughter with Down syndrome adopts baby with special needs, ‘Our girls make our family better’
“I saw her and my heart stopped. I tried to scroll past, but I couldn’t. We took a HUGE leap of faith.”
‘He was too small to be saved. Have $120,000 cash ready if you want to move forward.’ Our jaws hit the floor.’: Sister becomes surrogate after unexplained infertility, still birth
“At 22 weeks, I started getting swollen. I gained 16 pounds in a week. ‘I advise you not to carry another pregnancy.’ We felt lost and alone until a glimmer of hope entered our lives.”
‘The doctor had tears in her eyes. ‘We can’t say if he’ll make it or not.’ Fractures started appearing in the scans, in every limb.’: Woman births baby with Brittle Bone Disease, ‘My job is to love him well’
“At our 20-week ultrasound, we received the news our son’s femurs looked short, in addition to smaller arms. The kicker was he wasn’t fitting any specific mold. ‘We can’t say definitively if he’ll make it or not.’ I leaned on my faith more than ever.”
‘What do you MEAN you did chest compressions?’ I screamed. I won’t ever forget that call.’: Woman births micro preemie with pulmonary hypertension, ‘He never stopped fighting’
“I screamed in agony, convinced they would soon be bringing me back my tiny baby with looks of ‘there’s nothing we can do’ in their eyes. ‘His lungs are bad. Nothing is off the table.’ I kept asking for clarification about what ‘nothing’ meant.”
‘As they rolled her away, she said, ‘Mama, hold my hand.’ I can’t go with her. I lost it.’: 3-year-old with kidney disease, stage IV liver cancer gets ‘second chance’ from organ donor
“The waiting was the hardest part. Watching your child deteriorate, lose their hair, weight, and energy while you sit back hopelessly forever changes you as a person. ‘They found a match.’ I knew she had a fighting chance to survive.”
‘Why are all the other kids her age able to turn and look at their parents?’ I chalked it up to me doing something wrong.’: Mom to daughter with autism says ‘find love in your heart not to judge’
“I sat there, trying to hold back my tears. ‘What does this mean? What about her unborn sister? Will she have friends?’ I couldn’t take it anymore. I just sat there and let the tears flow down my cheeks as my daughter stood in between my legs. I stroked her hair, feeling so afraid for her future.”
‘We married ‘outside of our race.’ We get hateful stares, slurs. Still, we will continue to love one another and grow stronger.’: Woman in interracial couple says ‘we will rise above negativity’
“We’ve come to understand people do not want a black person dating or marrying a white person, or a white person dating or marrying a black person. And to them I say, we will rise above.”
‘We found our phones with several missed calls, texts. ‘Congratulations! You’ve been matched with a baby boy…’ We immediately melted into tears.’: Couple adopt baby with Down syndrome, ‘He was absolutely worth the wait’
“A fat stack of personal information – copies of driver’s licenses, tax returns, medical records – everything we are taught to keep confidential, was GONE. ‘Lost’ in the mail. 3 weeks later, I got a call from our social worker: ‘You’ll never guess what just happened!’ We knew raising a child with special needs would bring challenges, but we also knew it would be a huge blessing.”