Help - Hotmail/Outlook

Does anyone know anything about recovering hotmail emails after it automatically switched to outlook? 

I just logged into the hotmail account Rob and I had from the very first time we had email and it had automatically switched to outlook. 

I haven't used it in a while but I was looking for a photo I had on there of my then newborn nephew, Jay. 

That's when I discovered that EVERYTHING was gone. 

All of those emails all the way back to 1997 -

 the photos sent from when Wesley and Luke were born - 

emails back and forth from Rob and me - 

work emails I wanted to keep for his children about his ordination process - 

SO VERY MANY PRECIOUS emails - 

just lost. 

I've tried the support site with no answer. 

I've also tried everything I could find online to try.

It's like losing another part of Rob all over again...