She always believed every child should be held, loved, and given the chance to truly live, no matter how short their life might be. Her name is Cori, and she and her family have spent years doing exactly that: caring for terminally ill children who may not have a forever family otherwise.
Their first began caring for terminally ill kiddos in 2012. Over the years, their home has been open to many children who faced life‑limiting diagnoses. They’ve fostered and adopted seven children, and although it has been an emotional journey with losses and hard moments, it has also been filled with tremendous meaning and deep love.
Their very first baby died when she was just 50 days old. Holding her in her arms until her last quiet breath was one of the most heartbreaking and sacred moments of her life. They cried not because they felt hopeless, but because separation is sad, and loving deeply makes loss hurt. But in those moments, she knew she was loved until the very end.
Today, they have two remarkable boys with them. One is fourteen years old, a foster child they affectionately call “TBear,” short for Teddy Bear. The other is Charlie, a nearly four‑year‑old who doctors originally said wouldn’t live past 18 months. Charlie suffered a severe brain injury before and during birth and was even told he might be blind. Yet, through love, care, and patience, he continues to thrive in his own wonderful ways each day.
She has always believed and still believes every child, no matter how short their life may be, deserves to be loved and held. There are children whose biological parents cannot care for them often because the prognosis is heartbreaking or the needs are overwhelming. She and her family feel truly privileged to offer love, comfort, and stability, even if their time here is brief.
Her background as a hospice nurse has shaped her heart in ways she never expected. For many people, death is frightening and distant. But when you care for terminally ill children, you learn that a brief life doesn’t have to be an “incomplete” one. A short life can still be full of laughter, warmth, connection, touch, and meaning as long as someone is willing to cherish it.
Charlie, the little boy they were told might be blind, has taught us profound lessons about connection and awareness. On one day early in their journey together, he intentionally turned his head and reached out when his dad sat beside him. Multiple times, he showed this was no accident, proving that even without spoken words, he knew his dad and wanted to connect. Moments like these remind them that love and communication go far beyond spoken language.
She’s learned that these children teach them about what really matters in life. They show them not to get caught up in things that don’t matter, but instead to value deep human connection, presence, and joy in the small moments: a smile, a touch, a peaceful cuddle, or a shared laugh. These children offer perspective in ways few experiences ever could; their family does not worry about having “too many” children. They trust that the children who are meant to be with them will come to them at the right time and way. They believe that love isn’t limited to growing, expanding, and strengthening with every soul entrusted to their care.
To those who have told her they could never do what they do, she says this: Every act of love matters. Even the smallest moments of presence to hold a tiny body, to comfort a grieving parent, to whisper hope to a child facing uncertainty, these are acts of profound compassion.
She wants the children who come into their home to know they were cherished. She wants their families to know someone shared their grief, held their pain with them, and saw their child as deeply valuable. And she hopes that by sharing this story, others are encouraged to see that love, even for a life that may be brief, can change hearts, inspire courage, and create meaning beyond measure.
