Earlier this month, Alaina Giordano, who has Stage IV breast cancer, lost custody of her two children, ages 5 and 11, to her ex-husband in Chicago. Though the North Carolina mother claimed her husband was abusive and had been a weekend dad at best, Giordano was ordered to send her children to live with their father in Chicago and she will remain in North Carolina, where she is getting medical treatment. The court ruled that cancer could be considered in the custody decision because "children who have a parent with cancer need more contact with the non-ill parent." Giordano took her story to the Internet and is currently trying to raise money for a lawyer to fight the ruling.
Parental Problems: 'Botox Mom' and 12 Other Notorious Custody Battles
From the mom who lost custody of the daughter she injected with Botox to the money-fueled battles of celebrity parents, here are some of the most heartbreaking custody cases to ever hit the courts