(This blog is one that was originally posted late in February, with an updated note at the end. I will have a new one tomorrow, but had to spend most of today traveling. Thank you for your indulgence and faithfulness!)
Fannie had just been through a very rough time in her life. Late in 2009, her first baby was born three months early. She spent weeks with him in the hospital, hoping he would make it through okay.
Her baby’s father had not been very supportive. He had been in and out of jail and only bothered to show up when he felt like it. It also looked like he was not going to provide any support for her and her son.
In June of 2010, Fannie was just starting to get back on her feet. Her baby was doing pretty well, but he still got her up at night. It was tough to be a single mom and do it all alone. Thank goodness her family was supportive. Sometimes she thought that was the only way she would make it.
Then Fannie found out that she was pregnant. She could barely handle the news! Both her baby’s father and her new boyfriend (the father of her unborn child) were in jail. The bad memories of her son’s premature birth were still too fresh. Plus, she was so tired!
Fannie had never been in favor of abortion. However, in her desperation, she called Planned Parenthood. They told her that she could take a pill to cause her to abort if she was still under nine weeks. However, she would have to get an ultrasound to find out exactly how far along she was.
Fannie did not go to Planned Parenthood for her ultrasound, because they would have charged her for it. Instead, a nurse at her doctor’s office told her about the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, and that they did free ultrasounds. So, Fannie made an appointment on June 2, 2010 and came in.
It was immediately apparent that Fannie was very upset. She clearly didn’t want to abort her baby, but she was so overwhelmed. She had resolved that abortion was the only option available to her.
Then came the ultrasound. To put it in Fannie’s own words: “I knew for sure what I was going to do, but when they showed me the ultrasound screen I thought, ‘Now why did they have to do that?’ I started to think differently about things.”
The ultrasound showed a perfectly developed baby that was 8 weeks and 6 days in development. Just one more day and Fannie would be too late for the abortion pill. That didn’t matter anyway: Fannie was already convinced that she couldn’t abort. The strong heartbeat and little arms and legs changed her mind.
Her 2nd son was born on December 23, 2010. He was a few weeks early, but not premature like her first son. Today he is a happy, healthy, smiling, cooing little boy. He and his brother are the lights of Fannie’s life.
I went with Fannie to tape her story for our upcoming banquet, which was held on Thursday, March 3, 2011. It was inspiring to hear her tell her story, as well as to see the love in her eyes for her little boy. Her story is filled with gratitude that she was spared from making the worst mistake of her life: destroying the life of her precious child. And her baby? Well, he couldn’t have been cuter!
(I am delighted to add that our banquet was a huge success. As a result, we have been able to double our hours. As a result we are quickly getting to the place where the number of women we are helping has almost doubled as well! If you have ever given to us or ever prayed, please know that any victories we have are shared with you as well. If you would like to become involved, please check us out at www.aaacpcpartners.com.)
Keeping it true! Barb
