At 56, Clara thought her sudden weight gain and blinding pain meant the end of her life. But the clinic’s diagnosis was far more shocking. And when her estranged daughter finally discovered the truth, her reaction triggered a nightmare no one saw coming…

and smiled when patients asked whether she was feeling all right. At night, she filled out foster care applications and stared at questions that seemed designed to measure the size of a life. Income. Housing. Support network. Emergency contacts. Childcare plan. Experience with medically complex infants.

She had answers, but not always good ones.

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