Whom We Serve: A Happy Ending for Heather

“I just can’t take on anything else” is a common theme in the stories that clients bring.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added even more stress and uncertainty than normal to the lives of pregnant women and their families.

Early in the pandemic, Heather* came to Choose Hope Women’s Center. She was pregnant and going through a very difficult time in her life. She did not think that she could handle another baby on her own and said that she thought she should have an abortion.

Her volunteer listened to her story. She encouraged her, pointing out the successes in Heather’s past. She explained how Choose Hope could help her both before and after her child was born, and she told her about other resources in the community. She gave her information about her baby’s development and referred her to an obstetrician who could do a sonogram.

The volunteer did all that she could but felt as if everything she said was falling on deaf ears. When Heather left and never returned any phone calls after that, the volunteer was discouraged and believed that Heather did indeed abort her baby.

Then, many months later, Heather again reached out to say that she had given birth to a precious baby girl! She wanted to thank her volunteer for all she had done for her and her little blessing.

This unexpected happy ending is a reminder that sometimes we do not know what impact volunteers have. Clients come at times of great stress, talk for a little while, and sometimes never return again. What we sometimes don’t get to see is that our words can stay with them after they leave. This is often the case when working with clients at Choose Hope Pregnancy Center. A conversation that seems discouraging on one end can lead to a beautiful blessing.

*Name changed to maintain confidentiality.

Thanks to you, Choose Hope Women’s Center is making a difference.