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.
‘How will we tell her sister?’ I held her limp body, kissing her and praying she’d breathe again.’: Baby diagnosed with Lissencephaly, ‘She is a true miracle’
“I said, ‘Something is wrong, I just know it.’ Her body would twitch, eyes blinking faster than you could ever imagine. Her lips making a loud smacking noise. It scared me to death. The questions started to flood my mind…how long did we have with her?”
‘Our baby is going to die.’ Harper spiked a 106-degree fever. ‘She has a 1% chance of making it to her first birthday.’: Mom births miracle baby with Trisomy 18
“The doctor said, ‘These kind of babies do not make it full term and if the baby is born alive, they only live a few days…a week at most.’ Weeks later we were told, ‘We can’t find any markers.’ They couldn’t see any holes in her heart and all of her other signs had disappeared. She looked perfect. My husband and I were lost and confused.”
‘He was throwing his head back and forth, getting louder. From behind me I heard, ‘What’s wrong with him?!’ I just felt like crying.’: Mom of son with autism says ‘I want a world where my son can fit in’
“He wasn’t babbling as much. He kept spinning in circles the majority of the day. I knew in my heart he was different.”
‘I saw panic in her eyes. ‘I can’t find your cervix.’ I thought it was just a UTI. ‘You’re not allowed to leave.’ I waited 4.5 hours while medical staff conversed about me.’: Couple pregnant with twins after 7 miscarriages, incarcerated uterus
“Within 24 hours, I was being prepped for emergency surgery. My uterus was growing up and outwards and had completely cut off my uretha and bladder. ‘This is life-threatening to you and your twins.’ We were told to brace ourselves for the loss of both babies. I woke up to a large incision from my breast to my pelvis.”
‘Foolishly we thought, ‘Maybe if we ignore it, it might go away.’ There was an eerie feeling.’: Mom celebrates daughter’s extra chromosome, ‘She’s our little world changer’
“I never had the chance to ask myself, ‘Why me?’ I knew EXACTLY why me from the moment I hung up the phone that day. I feel like I have been preparing for this my entire life.”
‘I couldn’t explain to my boyfriend why he HAD to keep the light off, why I couldn’t come out of the bathroom.’: Woman embraces acne after hiding it for 10 years, ‘This is the REAL me’
“I waited nervously for the audible gasps. ‘Have you tried washing your face?’ I was the class guinea pig. I always assumed people were laughing at me.’’
‘I’m going to be a daddy!’ That was the last time I saw him in person. I felt so alone. How on earth could I give my child to someone else?’: After partner’s death, woman pursues open adoption for son, ‘There is more love than I ever imagined’
“I heard the words, ‘Kaden passed away this morning.’ The horror of realizing your child will no longer have a father is one I would not wish upon anyone. I did not get out of bed for the next two months. ‘If this child needs to be with another family, you need to get me on board.’ The moment I saw them, I knew they were the family.”
‘Galen, babe. We probably need to get moving.’ He didn’t respond. I thought he was just in a deep sleep.’: Woman loses husband to heart attack after 6-year battle with cancer
“He had a rough night with heartburn. ‘Galen, Galen.’ I set my hand upon his arm. He was COLD. The love of my life, the man I’d been married to for 13 years, was not breathing. The police officer hugged me from behind, tears streaming down my face as I choked on snot. I watched them put the love of my life in a black body bag. I would find out later that week, the EMTs had originally gone to the wrong location.”
‘I screamed to the paramdeics, ‘You aren’t moving fast enough. HELP HIM PLEASE.’ I sat in a ball on the Airbnb floor, cradling his face in my hands.’: Woman loses husband to ‘unexplained’ cause, ‘His love carries me through’
“I was startled from my sleep at 10 p.m. from what I thought was Kyle snoring loudly. I quickly realized he was struggling to breathe. I screamed for help. My sisters called 911 as I cradled his face in my hands, begging. Pleading. He quickly turned blue. As I lay on the floor waiting and praying for a miracle, I felt a giant hug from behind.”
‘With every contraction I felt a pit in my stomach. I didn’t want to have him, I wanted the nightmare to end.’: Expecting mom struggles with anxiety during COVID-19, ‘I had to learn to let go’
“Am I ready for the possibility of my son being swept out of my arms and placed on a ventilator? I was afraid of the arrival of our sweet innocent boy. I broke down on the bathroom floor.”