Member Since: 12/10/2011
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Woman Takes In Deceased BFF's 4 Kids; Bio-Dad Wants Custody
Laura Ruffino met her best friend, Liz Diamond, in the fifth grade.
As adults, they both had children -- two girls for Ruffino and four girls for Diamond -- and kept their tight bond, Ruffino told ABC News.
But in August 2014, Diamond, a single mom from Orchard Park, New York, was diagnosed with brain cancer, Ruffino said. She died just months later.
"When we got in the car, she asked me, if anything ever happened, if I'd take her daughters. And I said, 'Of course,'" Ruffino said. "It wasn't even a thought."
Ruffino is now seeking custody of Diamond's daughters, who are living with her. But Diamond's ex-husband, Elyson Pagayonan, appeared in court to contest the Ruffinos' permanent custody of his children according to Leonard Berkowitz, a lawyer for the Ruffinos.
Pagayonan has not yet filed papers for custody of his children, according to the lawyer.
Laura Ruffino said that one morning in December, Diamond wasn't feeling well and called Ruffino to take her to the cancer center.
"It's like your whole world comes to a halt," said Ruffino, from Buffalo, New York. "That day, her MRI was not good," Ruffino said.
When Diamond asked her to take care of her children, according to Ruffino, she obliged.
"I would always want someone to do that for me. Her kids and I were so close anyway, because she was my best friend. I wanted to give her peace," Ruffino said. "I can't even imagine what she had to be going through."
Read More: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/woma...ry?id=32602271
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