Mother Loses Custody of Kids Because She Has Cancer

I'd think having Stage 4 breast cancer would be bad enough, but having a judge tell you your illness also means you'll lose custody of your kids (11 and 5), is heart-wrenching. But that's what recently happened to Alaina Giordano. Time reports:

On April 25 Giordano lost custody of her children, when a judge ruled that they would need to relocate from their Durham, N.C., to live with their father in Chicago by June 17 because, essentially, the judge said, a healthy dad is better than a sick mom.

Giordano was stunned. She had expected an open-and-shut case. Quickly, an elementary-school friend leaped into action, slapping up a Facebook page that he hoped would spread the word and help Giordano attract a pro bono lawyer who could challenge Judge Nancy Gordon's ruling. She's seeking an altruistic attorney because Giordano doesn't earn an income -- she's a stay-at-home mom (SAHM, natch), the toughest of jobs -- a fact that was used against her in the custody battle, igniting a wave of support from fellow SAHMers.

Change.org is also running a petition put up by Giordano's sister, which has garnered nearly 100k signatures so far. As her sister writes, "The North Carolina Judge stated that she was uncomfortable not knowing how long Alaina had to live." Apparently this judge has forgotten that none of us knows how long we have to live, and yet lots and lots of people are still deemed fit parents.

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