Richelle Carey lived the life that most broadcast journalists do. Moving from state to state chasing a story and a better opportunity. Eventually, she got an opportunity to work with the esteemed Al-Jazeera news, which meant moving to the country of Qatar. However, her desire to become a mom was much stronger than her career and in 2020, she moved back to the States and moved in with her parents in order to adopt, which led her to finally have a child of her own in 2021 named Avery.
Richelle sat down with Tamron Hall on her talk show and discussed her journey to adoption.
“I thought I was progressive enough that I would say you don’t have to be a mom to have a family because I truly, truly believe that and some people are that way,” she said. “But I finally had to admit that for me personally, I really wanted to be a mom. I wasn’t any less significant when I wasn’t a mother, but that was the last piece that I really needed.”
At 43, she decided to freeze her eggs and a few years later she began in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, according to Essence, Richelle faced multiple unsuccessful rounds, which led her to the path of adoption. She began researching adoption options while she was still living in Qatar and in 2018 she got approved to adopt. And although she was finally able to live her dream of becoming a mom, living outside of the U.S. presented obstacles that forced her to choose between her career and motherhood.
With nothing lined up, she made the fearless decision to move back home with her parents in Texas during the pandemic. “I was nervous. I was anxious,” she told Tamron. “But I felt like everything that I had done in my life had gotten me to this point to be able to have choices and options and I know that everybody can’t do that. I understand that but I worked hard to get to that point and I needed to lean in and do it.”
While Richelle noted that it was a risky move, she had the support of her family and is loving every minute of motherhood.
“I am 50 years old living at home and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she said.
This Journalist Gave Up Everything & Became a Mom at 50
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Featured image by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Women in Cable Telecommunications