Hoda Kotb opened up about her decision to adopt a baby later in life
We are always about listening to and learning from empowered women who are living life on their own terms. And in an interview with People, Today’s Hoda Kotb opened up about her emotional adoption. The 52-year-old — who just adopted adorable baby Haley Joy — also revealed that breast cancer treatment from a decade ago left her unable to conceive.
Hoda said that she always wanted to be a mom, but had come to assume that it just wasn’t in the cards for her. She even said she sometimes even thought about switching careers entirely and becoming a school teacher since she loved kids so much. “Finally I said to myself one day, ‘Why can’t I? Why not me?’ I had this ache in me that I couldn’t push away anymore,” she told People.
So, she broached it with her boyfriend, Joel Schiffman.
"I was afraid to even say it out loud, because then it felt so real. I said, ‘Think about it for a day or a week or whatever.’ And he said, ‘I don’t need a day. Let’s get this journey going.’ At that point I blubbered like a baby. It was like the dam burst," she said.
So they went full speed ahead and worked with an adoption agency in New York. In just a few months, they welcomed baby Haley Joy into their lives. As if this story could get any sweeter, she was born on Valentine’s Day.
“I wake up sometimes and go, ‘Oh my God, I have a baby!’ But it feels totally real. I guess if you’ve been waiting this long for something, and you wish for it, pray for it, hope for it, wonder if it will ever be, and then it happens, nothing’s more real. Nothing,” she said.
We couldn’t be happier for this new mom, and are so inspired by her willingness to go for something she always wanted, even when it seemed like the odds were against her.
And FYI, Haley is going to be the trendiest baby around.
Congratulations to Hoda, Joel, and sweet baby Haley! They’ve got an exciting adventure ahead.
