“We were asked to consider what medical conditions and/or special needs we were open to pursuing. We thoughtfully poured over the extensive needs list and then came to the conclusion if we had a biological child with special needs, we’d figure it out. And so we just said yes. To whatever child needed a family.”
“I see you searching the internet for a toy and not a therapy item to give. I see you wrapping gifts you know you’ll be unwrapping for your child.”
“60-90% of children with this disease die before 2 years old. ‘Am I really going to lose my daughter?’ I remembered the moment I first saw her, how I said I would do anything for her. So I will. Even if it means raising 2 million dollars.”
Instead, he encourages them to use the money to buy their little one a toy.
“If it wasn’t for him, who knows what could’ve happened.”
“I promised him I would be with him every single day and hold his hand every step of the way. There had to be something I could do. When I walked through the door, he turned around and the first thing he said was, ‘Mary.'”
“A mother’s love is selfless, without a shadow of a doubt. But the heart of a man who still gives 110% fully knowing he will never have that much of you again, knowing that sacred place now belongs to, or is shared with, his children? That’s special.”
“I used to think to be a kind human I had to always say yes, especially during the holidays.”
“Was this too hard for a three-year-old? What would I be teaching her if I gave in? What would I be teaching her siblings who had been patient?”
When Emily’s mom passed away suddenly after a battle with pancreatic cancer, at 14, she had to step up to help care for her five younger siblings.
