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.
‘He doesn’t have much time.’ Dylan was as fit as a fiddle. ‘What if I never get to see my brother again?’: Woman becomes perfect match for brother’s bone marrow transplant, ‘It was my turn to repay him’
“He had been rushed to the ER. I was confused. Dylan was as fit as a fiddle. Something about seeing Dylan morph into a completely different character sent fear and doubt through my body. The agony of waiting was almost unbearable. What if the transplant doesn’t work?”
‘I was told, ‘Crab meat will ‘cure’ it.’ They suggested I stop taking insulin. My parents worried if anyone would ever marry me.’: Young woman describes hardships of being Type 1 Diabetic in India
“I wanted to be ‘normal’ like my friends. I started neglecting my health. As you can imagine, it doesn’t take too long to forget about the nasty finger pricks and injections. I had to skip some because of ‘what people would think.’”
‘I WILL have you pregnant within 3 cycles.’ We endured the loss of 8 embryos. No baby.’: Woman describes infertility battle, ‘Never give up, no matter how tough the battle’
“He said we were still so young and not to worry. My husband and I entered the dark world of empty bank accounts, bruised, battered, and botched up bodies from countless procedures, a home with stained walls from our screams and a carpet soaked in tears. Not being able to conceive children has really taken a toll.”
‘Surgery will leave you with a colostomy bag.’ A bag on my stomach I poop into for the rest of my life?’: Mom of three conquers colorectal cancer, ‘I was going to beat this, there was no other option’
“I thought I was too young for cancer. Turns out, I wasn’t. I didn’t know how I was going to survive this and be left with a good life after, if I did survive.”
‘Kerri, get a grip!’ the doctor said. I could only take Tylenol after surgery. I was sure I was going to die.’: Woman with arthrogryposis muscle disorder says ‘nothing is impossible with a fighter’s soul’
“I looked like a pretzel, but my mom wasn’t able to hold me for hours. Doctors started discussing ‘options.’ They told her I wouldn’t be able to do much. They said I would be better off if my parents decided to sign me over to the state. My mom immediately asked to be transferred.”
‘I was the superficial party girl. I lost my fabulous cleavage and all my beautiful hair, the two things I felt made me beautiful.’: Woman finds self-love after battle with breast cancer, ‘It gave me the kick I needed to transform’
“I wasted most of life achieving nothing. There was no dancing on the bar with cleavage showing and crazy, curly hair. I had to find another way to make myself happy, I had nowhere else to look but within myself.”
‘I had to wear adult diapers. ‘Do you realize how stupid you look?’ He was mimicking my tics in front of the class.’: Young woman with Tourette’s Syndrome finally finds help, ‘I got my quality of life back’
“I felt stupid because no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t stop. I would spend an hour straightening my shoes, trying to get them ‘just right.’ My dad had to sleep on the floor next to my bed and I had to wear adult diapers. I was left with my self-esteem in shatters. I believed I was a naughty kid.”
‘Bring me breakfast in the morning if we’re still here,’ joked the doctor. The treatments were painful, I tried to be brave.’: Woman describes her journey with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, ‘I never had a childhood, but hope I can have a good adulthood’
“I was always fragile. When I wasn’t sick, I was injuring myself. My skin would turn purple and red with spots, and everything burned to the touch. I was probed with questions and faced with students’ and faculty’s disbelief. ‘You don’t look sick.’ Using the school’s only elevator resulted in harassment.”
‘BAM! That world was taken away from me. I was returning to a new normal.’: Double transplant recipient celebrates Donate Life Month during pandemic, ‘never underestimate how adaptable you are to change’
“It has been wild to see the rest of the world have this eye-opening experience of being removed from society, isolated, scared of germs, wearing masks and gloves and living in fear of one another and the unknown. I’ve spent a lot of my life in quarantine.”
‘Right now I’m cherishing the everyday, the overlooked moments we take for granted.’: Mom of 3 says her lesson from isolation is ‘being present is better’
“I study my kiddos more. I just sit there and watch, observing them. It’s a good thing for life to be lived in the slow lane. I don’t want to forget.”