‘I Will Love You Forever’: Nurse Opens Her Home and Heart to Hospice Foster Babies
After Emmalynn’s short life, one mom made it her mission to love foster babies to the very end
After a special-needs baby named Emmalynn changed Cori Salchert’s life, the registered nurse made it her life’s mission to bring love and comfort to foster children during their final days. Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World.
“We have a very sick two-week-old baby named Emmalynn,” the family services counselor said urgently. “Her birth parents can’t care for her. Are you able to?”
Cori Salchert had built her life around caring for others as a registered nurse, a bereavement counselor and a mother of 8 children. Still, nothing prepared her for that phone call she received in 2012.
Hearing Emmalynn’s story, Cori felt her heart ache for the fragile baby girl. Born missing a part of her brain, the doctors couldn’t say how much time she had—only that it would be brief. Cori knew caring for her would be challenging, but one thought rose above all else:
She doesn’t need a hospital; she needs a warm and loving home.
After discussing it with her husband, Mark, Cori gave her answer: “We’re in. We’ll come and get her right away.”
Cori, Mark and their children welcomed Emmalynn into the family, surrounding her with love. For 50 days, the sweet baby knew nothing but love, comfort, tenderness and constant snuggles.
While her passing brought profound heartbreak, it also left an imprint that would last far beyond her time on earth.
A calling to foster terminally ill children
The loss of Emmalynn didn’t close the Salcherts’ hearts. Instead, it strengthened their resolve to open their home to other sick children in need.
“We really are a good team,” Cori said to her husband, Mark. “We’ve raised our biological children. Now we can show up for the kids who need us most.”
Mark agreed—they were uniquely suited for this calling. Over the years, the couple has fostered and adopted 9 children with terminal illnesses.
They have faced plenty of heartbreak along the way: Samuel, who died at 13 — just a week after his adoption was finalized; and Nememiah, who passed away at 3. Despite the heaviness of the losses, the Salcherts feel fortunate to be part of the children’s lives.
After a special-needs baby named Emmalynn changed Cori Salchert’s life, the registered nurse made it her life’s mission to bring love and comfort to foster children during their final days.
Finding joy in every precious moment
There have also been plenty of triumphs against the odds. Charlie and Kassidy, both adopted, continue to thrive despite severe brain injuries. Charlie, now 11, spent the first two and a half years of his life in a hospital. Born with severe brain damage, he was not expected to survive past age 3. Six-year-old Kassidy also endured an anoxic event during birth, and she wasn’t expected to live past a few months. Today, she loves music and attends a special needs school with Charlie, where both receive therapies and support from a devoted team to maximize their abilities.
Charlie and Kassidy’s needs are met at the Salcherts’ home, equipped with a stairlift and handicap-accessible shower. This spring, the family will embark on their biggest adventure yet: A trip to Disney World.
Through it all, Cori has learned to embrace a new kind of caregiving—a love that doesn’t demand milestones, but simply presence. She shares these lessons in her memoir, I Will Love You Forever: A True Story About Finding Life, Hope & Healing While Caring for Hospice Babies.
“The work is hard and the grief is real, but as Christians, we believe God can see us through anything,” says Cori. “Every child deserves love, care and dignity. I cannot change their prognosis, but I can make sure they don’t have to go through it alone and provide them with loving care until the end.”
This story first appeared in the March 9, 2026, issue of Woman’s World magazine.
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