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.
‘The room was awfully quiet. ‘Are you SURE about the dates?’ They abruptly sent me away. I couldn’t function.’: Woman celebrates double rainbow baby, ‘If it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have him’
“At 6 weeks along, I started to bleed. I was convinced it was happening a third time. She gasped, ‘Oh wow, a heartbeat!’ Words I’d never heard before. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!’ We were two unmarried twenty-somethings. We chose foster care, TOGETHER.’: BFFs become foster parents, ‘We were called to love them completely’
“One of us dared say it out loud: ‘I want to pursue foster care.’ ‘What?!? Me too.’ Not someday, then. Together. I saw it from our agency’s placement desk and stepped into the kitchen. ‘Two-day-old baby girl ready to be discharged tomorrow, yes or no?’ Yes. Yes. Yes! We never looked back.”
‘Something’s wrong.’ She’d stop breathing. We’d have a blue baby in our arms. The whirlwind had just begun.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Gould Syndrome, ‘She lives a joy-filled life’
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
‘’Will you ask her to marry you?’ My dress was overnighted. Mom helped dad into his suit. I choked on tears.’: Woman creates father-daughter dance before dad’s passing, ‘He always chose joy’
“My nails weren’t painted and I curled my hair myself in between wiping away the endless stream of tears. It wasn’t staged or super fancy. It was a dad doing what he always did best: sweeping his girl off her feet one last time.”
‘The chocolatey sponge set off fireworks in my mouth. Was there crack in this cake? I put the fork down and sat with the guilt.’: Woman describes journey to food freedom, ‘Life is meant to be lived’
“I worried what I’d look like the next day. I HAD to do better tomorrow. I lived in fear.”
‘I didn’t want kids anyway.’ I put on a show. I was bitter. No amount of training could’ve prepared me for this.’: Foster-to-adoptive mom ‘thankful’ for infertility, ‘My eyes were opened’
“I was unable to carry biological children. ‘WHY NOT ME?’ I’d see news stories of child abuse, neglect, and murder. I’m not a very patient person. My heart was forced to explore other options.”
‘Do you want to be pregnant or to be a mom?’ Fear set in. ‘Get here now!’ We just stared at each other.’: Woman describes love for son’s birth mom, ‘We are forever tied together’
“We were fueled with fear and anticipation. I was reminded that adoption is not a natural process. There we were, both his moms, welcoming him.”
‘I don’t know who I am.’ I struggled with feeling depressed and hopeless. All my dreams died.’: Man diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia raises awareness, ‘I want to encourage people’
“I had more and more difficulties performing physical functions. I couldn’t keep my balance. ‘Maybe I had too many concussions.’ I felt defeated thinking about all the things I wouldn’t be able to do with my wife and kids.”
‘Your options are running low.’ I was losing blood. My body was disintegrating. ‘But I’m so young!’: Teen raises awareness for Ulcerative Colitis and stomas, ‘I turned it into a positive’
“I lost over 20 pounds and had severe pain. I was admitted to the hospital. ‘Why is this happening to me? I should be out with friends, not in pain.’ I only got worse.”
‘We don’t know what’s going on.’ Fear took over my body. ‘But I barely know him yet!’ No one could pinpoint what it was.’: Woman births baby with genetic mutation, ‘He was the purest soul’
“Our 4-month-old son was having seizures. To say we were scared is an understatement. We followed him in an ambulance. All we had now was hope.”