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 handed her baby to her. ‘I’m so excited and proud of you.’ It was a precious moment between two mothers.’: Foster mom celebrates reunion, ‘It’s a blessing to see others heal’
“One of my kids screamed, ‘They’re here!’ I gathered her things and met her momma. The exchange spoke a million words. That was it. The moment that healed.”
‘They found cancer in her blood.’ The wind was knocked out of me. I bawled like a baby.’: Single dad says 2-year-old battling cancer ‘gives me the strength to go on’
“The news came one night when I was teaching a zoom class. I remember holding onto her so tightly, weeping. I had a choice to make. Would I choose to carry the legacy of my late wife or give up?”
‘Go have a good weekend because it’s not good news.’ Deep down, I was freaking out. I was so new to cancer.’: Woman beats breast cancer, welcomes 2 miracle babies, ‘I am a survivor’
“We were in the middle of wedding planning, living a fairy tale life. That was when I found my lump. ’We have bad news.’ My life was crumbling beneath my feet.”
‘He sobbed when I drove him home, ‘No, Mommy!’ It was unbearable. In his eyes, we abandoned him.’: Woman adopts brothers 2 years after saying goodbye, ‘God had bigger plans’
“I fell to my knees. It couldn’t be. This baby boy was going to go to an entirely new home. I cried myself to sleep, praying he was safe and loved. My phone rang. When she said his name, I thought I was going to throw up.”
‘There are other ways to be a mother.’ I was so angry. I wanted to be a mom the ‘natural’ way.’: Woman becomes foster care advocate, ‘I never expected my heart to change’
“I still can hear my OBGYN telling me all the diagnoses. Infertility. PCOS. ‘Fostering doesn’t make you any less of a mother.’ I felt my heart break into a million pieces.”
‘What will people think?’ I worried myself to sleep. That little pill held so much shame.’: Mom of 6 shares struggle with anxiety, ‘It’s made me stronger’
“I’d wake up, heart racing, and rush to the crib. Once I felt her breathing, I could settle back into sleep. I was angry all the time. Small things made me want to pull my hair out.”
‘How would you feel about having a baby?’ We caught the only flight out. Suddenly, all the heartache made sense.’: Couple adopts after 4 years of infertility, ‘Everything led us straight to her’
“We didn’t get to hear her heartbeat on an ultrasound. We didn’t get a gender reveal party or a baby shower. Nobody visited us at the hospital. And I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”
‘This is the last one I have in me.’ My stomach painfully dotted with bruises, I noticed a voicemail. My breath caught.’: Couple finally chosen by birth mom, ‘My heart is so full’
“We put together a nursery for our ‘some-day’ baby. ‘Someday, it will be our turn.’ After 6 years of disappointments, it did not seem possible. Then the voicemail said, ‘Do this tonight.’ ‘Birth mom.’ ‘Chosen you.’ My breath caught.”
‘People stood to see what was wrong with the screaming kid in the back of the plane. ‘Call me Grandma Jackie.’: Mom praises flight attendant’s kindness, ‘She went above and beyond’
“We don’t speak Mandarin and Bella didn’t speak English. But Grandma Jackie speaks both. Her sweet voice won her over.”
‘They found our kids!’ There was a clerical error. We felt them slipping away.’: Couple fight for sons during pregnancy, ‘They made our lives so full’
“My oldest announced, ‘I want a concert and a baby.’ I told him I could probably make one of those happen. I was puking every day. The mess grew and my belly grew.”