When Her Friend Died of Cancer, This Woman Stepped Up in an Amazing Way
Laura Ruffino and Elizabeth Diamond, from Buffalo, New York, were best friends since the fifth grade.
When Diamond was diagnosed with stage IV brain cancer in August of 2014, she asked Ruffino to look after her children if something ever happened to her, ABC News reported. Ruffino didn’t hesitate to answer.
“I instantly said ‘OK,‘” Ruffino told the outlet.
After Diamond passed away in April, Ruffino, her husband Rico and their two daughters, immediately welcomed Diamond’s four daughters and adopted them. Lily, Ella, Samona and Tara, ages five to 12, are now part of the family.
The Ruffinos are working to rapidly accommodate the new additions to their family as best they can but would like to make some changes in order to make the girls more comfortable, according to their YouCaring page. They are hoping to get a van that can seat all six children and would like to convert their garage into additional bedrooms for the girls.
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h/t BuzzFeed
Melissa McGlensey is the former News Editor at The Mighty. Her writing can also be seen in Ms. Magazine, on the Ms.Magazine blog and in The Huffington Post’s Good News, Comedy and Impact sections. Melissa is also a New York City comedian who does sketch, improv and stand up. She is passionate about social justice, politics, Thai food, literature, disability rights and more. She is currently in a long-distance relationship with her cat, Sneakers, who lives in California. You can follow her on twitter at @OhHeyMeliss.
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