A 19-year-old girl, Sue,* walked through the doors of Choices for Women. She came from a strong Christian family; her dad was even a pastor. Sue came to Choices because she was afraid she was pregnant and didn’t know how her parents would respond.
After taking the test, it came back positive. She cried and cried and cried. The nurse let her cry as long as she needed and then offered her an ultrasound.
“I can’t have a baby! This will be so embarrassing! My dad will kill me! I can’t possibly do this,” Sue responded.
The nurse gently responded, “I’ll tell you what, let me help you make up your mind a little bit. You don’t have to do this, but we can do an ultrasound and see what we see.”
Sue followed the nurse to the ultrasound room and we’re delighted when they saw a seven-week baby that kept bouncing around and showing off for them. The tears returned, and Sue responded, “I guess I’m having a baby. I’m going to be a mommy.”
The road wasn’t easy for Sue, but she made a life-affirming choice. Even though she was scared about telling people, her family rallied around her, and said, “We’re going to walk with you through this, every step of the way.”
*name has been changed
photo by iStock