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 have a bad feeling.’ Suddenly, I saw commotion. His diaper had fused to his lower back. I could smell his skin.’: Mom shares 2-year-old burn survivor’s journey
“The fire pit was about 5 feet away. I stood up to get a better view and what I saw would haunt me. I wanted so badly to end his pain.”
’I want to reconsider keeping the baby.’ Then she changed her mind again. We booked a flight, not knowing the outcome.’: Couple recalls how disrupted adoptions led to son, ‘He is ours FOREVER’
“We hadn’t had contact with her for weeks. We were basically waiting with our phones for the call. We booked a flight and moved forward, not knowing the outcome. When we arrived, we found a nurse. ‘Let’s go meet your baby!’”
‘My leg broke out of nowhere. ‘I need to, literally, cut my losses.’ Nothing was the same again.’: Woman becomes amputee, ‘I don’t regret it for one second’
“I realized I was there but didn’t really feel present. It was as if I was behind a glass wall, watching everyone else. At that moment, something in my brain clicked. I couldn’t do it anymore. I knew what I had to do.”
‘He had very serious issues. ‘Should we adopt him?’ I’ll never forget his face. I couldn’t escape the feeling he was ours!’: Woman adopts baby with brain condition, ‘He changed my perspective on life’
“’It’s not a matter of IF he has another stroke, but WHEN.’ His 5 siblings took turns feeding him little bites of ice cream. Even brain surgery couldn’t get in the way of his sweet crooked smile.”
‘We noticed some things about her hand and foot.’ Mom found doctor after doctor, even when they couldn’t do anything for me.’: Woman advocates for limb differences, ‘I tried until I got it right’
“A girl saw my hand and screamed like I was a monster. I cried every single day. My father held me after my surgeries when I was sick from anesthesia. He always showed he believed in me and I could do anything.”
‘I want you to adopt my baby.’ Do I have what it takes? As a kid, I was yelled at and left alone. I lost a desire for kids.’: Couple adopts siblings, ‘They are our gifts’
“We got married at the ages of 16 and 20. I told my husband, ‘Never expect kids to be a part of our lives.’ Then a birth mom wanted to meet us. She already had the baby! We were in shock.”
’You’re too sensitive for this work.’ He was found naked and left for dead. I all but laid myself in front of the car to help.’: Woman rescues children from poverty, ‘There’s nothing I enjoy more’
‘She was alone, abandoned. No one cared for her. ‘I will come back.’ She looked at me awkwardly and said, ‘No one ever comes back.’ My life was threatened. But nothing could stop me.”
‘I joined the basketball team in 5th grade. I just wanted to make ONE basket. I had to show I’m not a burden.’: Woman with Dwarfism spreads awareness, ‘I want to teach kindness’
“I never thought I’d get married because no one could like me because of my height. Now I have a husband who is 6’2.”
‘She’ll never be able to do it.’ Doctors didn’t expect much. The win wasn’t just for me. It was for an entire community.’: Woman with Down syndrome becomes ‘Woman of Worth’
“Parents often look at me and say, ‘You’re a role model.’ I know their children will grow up not to be like me, but to be exactly who they are, living their own beautiful purpose.”
‘Did he think we abandoned him?’ I was still grieving. He hardly slept day or night. I struggled to feel connection.’: Couple foster to adopt, ‘If you don’t get attached, you’re doing it wrong’
“Within minutes, I was holding him in my arms. It was as if my arms had always been missing something. Him. Grief hit hard when he was reunified with mom.”