It takes a special kind of person to reach out and offer a hand, a home, and a heart to someone in need.
It takes an even more generous person to offer that support again and again to some of the most vulnerable souls imaginable.
Fortunately for the world, Cori Salchert is exactly that sort of special person.
A mom of eight kids, Cori has made it her mission to open her heart to as many children as possible, paying special attention to little ones undergoing hospice or end-of-life care, without family by their side.
While many people might shy away from the pain involved in tragic cases of young children with terminal or extremely severe illness — including, occasionally, their own parents — Cori steps forward to embrace babies who have no one else, much like the sweet family that opened their home to little Sunflower Mae.
It’s a cause that is both incredibly noble and self-sacrificing on Cori’s part, and equally heartbreaking for her and for her family.
But as Cori told the Sheboygan Press in an in-depth interview, “Too many people never do anything because they can’t do everything and can’t save everyone. For me, even though I can’t help every child, I’m happy to make a difference in the lives of a few.”
[H/T: The Sheboygan Press ]
Please note, some of the following images contain graphic medical content.
Cori realized long ago that she had a calling to help children.
In fact, in addition to raising eight children of her own — with the help of her husband, Mark, of course — Cori also worked for her whole career as a registered nurse and end-of-life aide for terminally-ill children and their parents.
She dealt with these tragic cases every day at work, but knew that she couldn’t take on the responsibility at home as well, with her own children still growing up.
Then, her career was put to an involuntary halt by an autoimmune illness.
Suddenly, Cori found herself with free time and an increasingly empty nest.
The stars had aligned for her to move her experience with hospice care in a new direction.
She decided to foster and adopt terminally ill children who had been surrendered by their parents, and give them a home and loving family for as long as they had left.
The family’s first adopted baby was Emmalynn, who had a severe brain deformity, lived for just 50 days.
But for those 50 days, she was cherished and loved beyond measure. She's pictured above with her grandmother and sisters.
They then adopted a son, and that was followed by a third child, a little boy named Charlie who was deprived of oxygen and requires a ventilator to breathe and a tube to eat. Charlie is a year old now, and is considered terminal.
But for the Salcherts, Charlie’s life-limiting diagnosis simply means that they have to give him as much love as possible in the time he has.
The family, Cori in particular, is truly dedicated to helping to make this world is as kind and loving as possible for Charlie and the other little ones who have found a home and loving family with the Salcherts.
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