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.
‘Every day was a bloodbath. ‘It’s normal for teen girls.’ Little did I know, a storm was brewing on my insides.’: Endometriosis warrior shares 5-year journey to diagnosis
“By the time I was 14, I dreaded my period every month. I couldn’t leave the house in fear I’d leak through my clothes. The pain had me bedridden for days.”
‘We were told, ‘She may not be born breathing.’ Scared was an understatement.’: Mom gives birth to baby with DiGeorge syndrome, ‘She’s our miracle’
“There were so many unknowns. We were asked multiple times if we wanted to terminate. Everything about having our first baby felt not fair. We just wanted normalcy.”
‘I looked at myself and saw an old, washed-up woman with nothing to offer. I wanted to go to bed and not wake up.’: Woman shares self-discovery journey, ‘Life is a story we get to write’
“I had a divorce battle on my hands and two children to raise. It turned out no one was going to get me out of this mess. It was down to me to sort it out.”
‘Why does he act like that?’ My home was a war zone. But I wouldn’t take back that time even if I could.’: Woman shares advice to new foster parents, ‘Find your people’
“That birth mother I met at the DHHS office? She and I could have easily traded places. I’d be a fool to believe I was called to love my children, and not their parents.”
‘One day, a handsome teacher messaged me. The word ‘widower’ glared up at me. To be honest, I was scared.’: Mom shares journey blending families, ‘This is what faith looks like’
“I can’t explain when or how, but I knew this man and his children were special. I hadn’t found them by accident.”
‘I heard my mom sobbing in the background. ‘She has 12 months left to live.’ I fell to my knees, sobbing. I thought my parents were bulletproof.’: Woman shares grief journey after losing mom to brain tumor
“Although I had a husband and three children to care for, I was lost in darkness. I poured a bottle of lorazepam down my throat. I had eyes only for my mom and seeing her again.”
‘I was looking at all his cute little fingers and toes when I noticed webbing. My heart sank.’: Mom shares son’s Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome diagnosis
“It felt like they ripped my baby out of my arms. I was all alone, sobbing, ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this.’”
‘Three men in uniforms approached me. ‘Is there a place we can sit?’ I cried over and over, ‘This can’t be happening!’: Man loses wife, daughter in tragic car accident, ‘Hope is the word I cling to’
“How do you tell your little boy his mom and sister are gone? He closed his eyes and reached for his pain pump. It wrenched my heart as he pushed once, twice, three, four, more times than I know. He wanted that pain to disappear, as did I.”
‘Here’s a baby, here’s a baby, and here’s a baby. You have 3!’ My life completely changed.’: Mom of triplets shares journey, ‘We’re stronger than ever’
“My belly was getting bigger by the day. I was terrified. I pleaded with the babies and with my body to hold on a while longer.”
‘Twin one is okay, twin two has passed.’ I felt my heart ripped from my chest. I didn’t want to let go.’: Mom grieves loss of twin, ‘She’s our guardian angel’
“The doctor scanned me and said, ‘I’m so sorry.’ It was the worst day of my life. I was grieving for one baby while trying to stay strong for the other.”