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 cell phone vibrated. ‘Children’s genetics ANSWER.’ This was the moment I’d been waiting for.’: New mom shares journey parenting child with Prader-Willi Syndrome
“12 years into this gig, I can confidently say parenting a child with a disability isn’t for the faint of heart.”
‘Your placenta looks really bad.’ By the time I got to the hospital, I could barely walk.’: Mom shares grief of child loss, ‘You’re stronger than you think’
“My husband was over the moon. ‘Oh my god, our own team!’ I mourned being pregnant for a while.”
‘Men broke into my house. There’s blood all over the walls.’ There was my mom, wild-eyed and terrified.’: Daughter becomes caregiver to mom with dementia
“When I got to the house, there were no men, no blood. I dove headfirst into my new role.”
‘My husband popped the trunk. Out fell our giant brown bag, spilling dozens of whiskey bottles onto the asphalt. My son’s expression said it all.’: Mom of 3 shares sobriety journey
“When I was younger, my mom asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. A stay-at-home mom addicted to alcohol wasn’t part of that equation.”
‘We’d been home from the hospital 3 nights when I saw two missed calls from the pediatrician. I knew this was life-changing.’: Mom shares daughter’s journey with Cystic Fibrosis
“Shay had bright green stool no one in the hospital could figure out. ‘Her infant panel results came back. There is no cure.’ After hanging up, I broke down crying.”
‘When the nurse removed the bandages, I held my breath and squeezed my eyes closed.’: Woman shares journey with bilateral cleft lip and palate
“I expected fireworks. I might finally feel whole and love myself completely. Instead, I felt betrayed by myself.”
‘We won’t call you unless there’s bad news.’ I’ll never forget hearing the phone ring.’: Mom shares daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis, ‘My eyes see beauty so differently’
“I grieved the baby I thought I was going to have. I grieved the baby I thought I wanted. I felt not fit for this.”
‘I could barely get the words out. ‘Mom, what does this mean?’ In one moment, my life changed.’: Woman births baby with Down syndrome
“As I came out of the fog, I started looking at my life through a different lens. Although my life might change, it might change for the better.”
‘It went through! You got it!’ Tears filled my eyes. I finally had a date on the calendar.’: Woman with cancer shares ‘excitement and joy’ of COVID-19 vaccine
“After 12 rounds of chemo, I knew my body would be defenseless against this terrifying virus. I was alone.”
‘I see twins!’ The doctor’s face paled. ‘I think there are five.’: Mom battling infertility births quintuplets with high school sweetheart
“‘Something seems off.’ I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t understand why God would do this to me. It was so dangerous! At 8 weeks, we went in and sure enough, we saw five babies! I was actually pregnant with QUINTUPLETS!”