In 2015, Alice came to the Center for Pregnancy as a scared young teenager to take a pregnancy test. During her intake appointment, she told her client advocate that the most stressful thing in her life was school. For a girl in junior high, that was an understandable concern. Now, instead of worrying about homework, Alice was concerned about being pregnant. While her circumstances were less than ideal, Alice was surrounded by a supportive community. Her parents said they would help her with her child. She and her boyfriend chose to continue the pregnancy and parent their baby. During her pregnancy, Alice was able to come to the Center for an ultrasound, and she and her boyfriend attended several parenting classes together. After a few months, Alice stopped coming to the Center, and although we tried to reach her several times, we never heard back from her.
This April, a new client, Courtney, came in to the Center facing an unexpected pregnancy. She was brought in by her friend who looked very familiar to us. Courtney said that when she found out that she may be pregnant, and found our information online, her friend Alice recommended that she come to see us. Alice told her that she had come to us during her pregnancy years ago, and encouraged her to make an appointment with us. She even volunteered to bring Courtney in for her appointment.
So, when Courtney came to the Center for Pregnancy, Alice came with her, bringing her now six-year-old daughter. Courtney was anxious and unsure of what to do next. She had known she was pregnant for a while but didn’t know what to do. Fearing her parents would not be supportive, Courtney hid her pregnancy from them, but confided in her friend, Alice. Having received help during her own unplanned pregnancy years ago, Alice was now equipped to help her friend in a similar situation.
Though Courtney was further along than most of our ultrasound clients, one of our volunteer nurses said she would perform the ultrasound since Courtney had not yet seen a doctor.
Courtney’s sonogram showed beautiful images of her 20 week old baby. After receiving information on the next steps she should take, Courtney called and scheduled an appointment with a doctor to start receiving prenatal care.
We are grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with Alice and to see how well she and her daughter are doing! Please pray for Courtney and her parents as she tells them about the baby. Just as we did for Alice years ago, we look forward to supporting and equipping Courtney as she navigates this pregnancy.
Welcome Pam and Joel!
In the past month we are excited to have been able to welcome two new board members!
Pam Marchitti is a member of Sagemont Church in Houston, and is currently on the leadership team of Colson Fellows. She brings her strong administrative and financial skills as a CPA to her work at the Center.
