One of the biggest concerns of parents is to ensure the healthy and safe upbringing of their children, and to be there for them. However, sometimes life has other plans that prevent this and change all plans. Take, for example, this sad case from Reddit where a mother in Ohio is critically ill and now needs to think about who she will give custody of her daughter.
The redditor Sick_mom_1980 went seeking advice from r/legaladvice because she was recently diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic Cancer and has six to nine more months to live. This mother is afraid because of her illness, but what really terrifies her is what might happen to her daughter after she dies. The problem is that OP’s daughter’s biological father has disappeared from both of their lives since his daughter was a one-year-old. This mother’s only hope in Ohio is her boyfriend, to whom she wants to give custody of her daughter.
Fortunately, the boyfriend is not just any man, but someone who, for six years, acted like a father and cares about OP’s daughter. OP’s boyfriend has a daughter of his own from his past marriage. He is also very concerned about his daughter’s life, demonstrating continuously how he is a responsible father. The genuine concern is whether OP can legally give custody to him.
The user Distinct_Ad_9842 shared not only a great tip regarding the legal aspect. Yet, they gave another crucial point that OP needs to worry about:
“Get a lawyer for this ASAP. I’m so sorry that this is something you are going through, but it needs to be done right away and done by a pro. Please note: This will be a HUGE disruption to your daughter’s life, with regards to your terminal illness. You need to check around locally and possibly with a therapist, and get a plan of action in place. Edit: To add that a 13-year-old losing her ONLY active biological parent is going to be a life-changing amount of trauma. Combine that with her being a teenager and not understanding the world is a recipe for bad things to happen. I hope that your boyfriend can take care of her as his own and make it a bit more structured.”
Hopefully, OP can get all the legal paperwork in order and her boyfriend can be the father the child needs to support her while she grows up.
