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.
‘My husband misses every kick. I have to birth and care for this baby by myself.’: Pregnant Air Force paramedic works alone during Covid-19, ‘I swore to make sacrifices to get the mission done’
“A couple of months until the deployment, the news hit. Things were getting bad. My husband wouldn’t have the chance to come home for the birth of his daughter. I didn’t know what it meant for my baby. I still continue to do my job. I made a commitment.”
‘Why me?’ The words echoed in my head, ‘There is no cure…’ I reached to get my makeup and it wasn’t there. It was a nightmare that wouldn’t end.’: Man finally accepts vitiligo, ‘What I have is a blessing’
“‘How will I cope?’ I looked in the mirror for 30 minutes, wondering what to do.”
‘Is he ok?’ I was afraid to say the words. I never told a soul about my feelings, not even my husband.’: Mom births son with Down syndrome, ‘I am so thankful for his perfect 47 chromosomes’
“I always imagined this big strong guy like my husband – a star football player and maybe a military pilot. But after Gabe’s diagnosis, suddenly those dreams came crashing down. I worried if Gabe would ever drive, get married, or just end up living with us forever.”
‘I got a message from someone with fat loss pills saying, ‘You could benefit from these.’: Woman with hyperthyroidism says ‘I’m perfectly imperfect, and that’s okay’
“Growing up in the ‘picture perfect’ era was mentally draining. I started to develop early and was wearing a training bra by third grade. I was called ‘a big ugly giant.’ It sent me even deeper into a downward spiral.”
‘She’s only 4.’ She was doing so well with cannabis, we wanted to fight it without harsh protocol’: Cancer warrior fights Stage 4 Neuroblastoma with help of cannabis, ‘We went into fight mode’
“Delilah hadn’t been eating much, but I thought she was just starting to get picky. She screamed and cried in pain. She couldn’t walk anymore. ‘She doesn’t look sick.’ I begged them to do an x-ray.”
‘The sonographer said, ‘There’s a foot in your vagina.’ I didn’t hear my baby cry. ’Is she alive?’: Woman gives birth to micro-preemie, ‘My life plans didn’t include a NICU stay during a pandemic’
“I was in a daze. ‘Your baby needs to come out right now.’ I lay on the operating table alone while they sewed my now empty womb back together. 3 hours later, they told us, ‘She might not survive it.’ Our hearts broke. None of it seemed right.”
‘I recorded videos to be played at my funeral. Something was waiting to latch on and rob me of my years.’: Fanconi Anemia patient puts embryo transfer on hold during Covid-19, ‘I want to be around for the rebuilding of this world’
“What if I got ill while pregnant? I love this collection of cells with all my being. I asked my doctor to tell us what to do. ‘The risk is just too high.’ There is sincere heartbreak in this decision.”
‘We thought it was a double ear infection. ‘Your child has a mass in her brain.’ I tried to hold back tears.’: 8-year-old gymnast diagnosed with brain cancer, ‘She was the bravest kid’
“As we walked into the ER, we did not expect to get the news we did. We thought she just needed fluids.”
‘The bullying from doctors was scarring. I felt a lump and started to shake. My self-esteem was rocked.’: Woman battles aggressive breast cancer after serious arm injury, ‘The harder it got, the more people showed up’
“The nurse I was assigned to made fun of my face painting and I got incredibly sick. I stood next to our car, afraid I would fall over while I screamed, ‘NOT ME!’ over and over again in broad daylight. I asked him one question, ‘Am I going to die?’ He didn’t answer.”
‘I kept saying, ‘she’s beautiful,’ over and over. I knew I was giving birth to death.’: Mom and siblings honor baby born sleeping, ‘Thinking she’s been forgotten is excruciating’
“A sickening feeling took over and my chest tightened when the attending physician walked in. I could see bad news written on everyone’s faces, but I still didn’t believe it. We were left with ashes in a cardboard box.”