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.
‘All humans have 10 fingers.’ Everyone turned to stare at me. ‘Well I guess not EVERYONE.’: Teenager raises awareness about limb differences, ‘Difference is beautiful’
“No one I knew looked like me. I remember searching up different variations of ‘three-fingered hand’ to see if I could find someone else out there. It never worked.”
‘The car skidded. I tried to run, escape. A whirlwind took us up and when it stopped, my torment started.’: Accident survivor bikes 100 miles, ‘Life can be beautiful, even on wheels’
“‘Mom, what happened to you?’ I didn’t know what to say. I was a vegetable, changed by people whose language I didn’t speak.”
‘I want to do more!’ I begged my mom to let me make them all a Love Blanket.’: 11-year-old makes blankets for kids who ‘need a little bit of extra love’
“The very first blanket we made went to a little girl who was autistic and had been bullied in school. I can’t fix the problems they are dealing with, but I can make them a Love Blanket and let them know they’re loved.”
‘7 Siblings in Need of Home.’ Their parents had been killed. The story hit my heart like a ton of bricks. If not us, then who?’: Couple adopt 7 siblings after parents die in car crash
“Their parents had been killed, but they all had miraculously survived without seat belts. They were ejected from the vehicle and were badly injured. I thought about them all day. Their sweet, hope-filled faces jumped off of the screen and into my heart.”
‘I would point women out, ‘Am I skinnier or fatter than her?’ Then I heard my daughter saying similar things. It was sick.’: Mom ‘changes the narrative’ for daughter after wake-up call
“I cursed new and old stretch marks. ‘Only women who are a size 2 can truly be successful.’ My body image dictated how I spoke to myself, even while my daughter was listening.”
‘I desperately signed over FaceTime, ‘Mom home soon.’ I was stuck in a country with a brand new daughter.’: Couple adopts 2 special needs kids, ‘We are the absolute luckiest’
“I didn’t know when I’d see my husband again. I could hear my son crying, but all I could see was the dreaded ‘poor connection.’ My new daughter was screaming and couldn’t communicate. It was just too hard.”
‘I worked 9-5 trying to hide the pain. My job still let me go. I realized just how sick I was.’: Woman gets masters degree despite mystery chronic illness
“I was experiencing odd symptoms, such as chest pain, sweating, and tingling in my limbs. Yet, I had no diagnosis.”
‘She has no one left to help her.’ I stared at the screen in disbelief. She looked nothing like I remembered.’: Woman adopts child, ‘My life wasn’t complete until she came home’
“When I left Liberia, my goodbye to her was the hardest. ‘I’ll never forget you.’ Three years later, I got a call. ‘Probable tumor in her eye. Untreatable in West Africa. It’s an emergency.’ We were terrified.”
‘Look at you! What’s WRONG with you?’ Ants were crawling under my skin. I lay on the cold cement floor of my jail cell.’: Woman overcomes felony charges and drug addiction, ‘You CAN recover’
“I had a spot on my shoulder, and MRSA entered my body. I remember the moment Dilaudid entered my IV. It felt like a warm pot of honey. That high was it. I wanted that forever. There was no soul left in me.”
‘We placed an ad in the paper. Yes, the NEWSPAPER. ‘Couple promises baby loving home.’ It was straight out of a movie.’: Couple adopts baby girl after just 24 days, ‘We’re the lucky ones’
“After 3 and a half years of infertility, we were prepared for a long haul. We knew a placement was not a guarantee. It was a tough decision, and one we grappled with. The due date came and went.”