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.
‘She walked into the bar alone. My gut told me she was also in the dead husband club. She asked, ‘Does it ever get easier?’: Suicide widow makes ‘lifelong’ friend, ‘Connection keeps us going’
“’She can’t possibly be ready to date, can she?’ Now 3 years in, I’m asked all the time, ‘Why are you still single?’ It hurts so bad you feel it down to your bones.”
‘I looked at the poop bag and cried. ‘I’d rather die.’ I didn’t want my partner to stop loving me.’: Woman with ulcerative colitis advocates for stomas, ‘Every body is worthy’
“I was toxic. ‘You need emergency surgery.’ The thought of having a bag was the worst thing possible. I refused to discuss it.”
From Broken Bones To Healthy Home: How I Became An Adoptive Mom To Two Precious Sisters
“I got a call one day to take a 5-year-old little girl. Later that day, she walked into my house with a trash bag of clothes. She had head lice, body lice, and pinworms. She’d come from a dirty foster home where she said she was made to lay on the floor.”
‘Please don’t take this away from me!’ On my wedding day, I was covered in hives. I felt like I was dying.’: Woman receives ‘life-changing’ Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, autism diagnosis at 39
“When the doctors saw I was on several medications, I was sent home and told, ‘Get a hobby.’ Even shampoo and cologne sent me into pain. I felt like I was drowning.”
‘I want to be pregnant.’ My heart shattered. Then, we heard about a 3-day-old boy.’: Couple battling infertility become foster, adoptive parents, ‘Hang onto hope’
“Our son’s birth mom chose our family. He was handed to me and I was instantly in love. ‘Amanda, you’re pregnant.’ Our lives were changed forever.”
‘I took a test, saw a line. ‘What’s ONE more?’ he laughed. I already had 3 under 3.’: Couple surprised by pregnancy while adopting brothers, ‘It’s exactly what I dreamed’
“’Meet your son.’ Weeks later, we brought number 3 home. I noticed I was having mood swings. I joked to my girlfriends on a group text, ‘I‘m probably pregnant.’”
‘You watch him in pain and feel the energy. Sometimes you feel robbed. This shouldn’t fall on your shoulders.’: Woman with special needs brother says ‘he taught me to be selfless’
“Every birthday, when I blow out my candles, I use my one wish to wish my sibling could be able to walk and talk.”
‘I’m going to die young.’ I was drunk the day I took my SATs. I’d go days without eating.’: Single mom overcomes addiction, ‘I wanted to see my daughter grow up’
“While my friends were dreaming about their future careers, I was dreaming about booze. I’d carve words into my legs just to feel something. And then I got pregnant. The only thing I wanted for this child is to not feel how I felt.”
‘How can you waste the best years of your life fostering children?’ People questioned if I’d find a husband.’: Single foster mom says ‘these children are worth it’
“This sweet little 3-year-old also had a 2-year-old sister. They were looking to have them adopted together. ‘How could I adopt just ONE?’ I decided to drown out the noise of others.”
We Adopted An Abandoned Girl With No Hands, Feet, Or Mouth—Because Everyone Deserves A Forever Family
“Her file labeled ‘harder to adopt’ arrived. It held pages upon pages filled with pictures, details, and medical records. We cried all the way through it.”