What do you do when the person who should protect you threatens to abandon you — and the only light in your life is the heartbeat of a child you’re too afraid to keep?
“Gabriela’s” life had become unstable. The North Carolina mom had been struggling with depression and anxiety that was stealing the joy and purpose from her life.
Then she got pregnant — as a teen.
On the one hand, she was terrified because she felt the father of the baby would not want a child. At the same time, she felt a deep protective instinct toward her baby and resisted the pressure to abort. Her emotions swung back and forth, then up and down, as if she were drowning in a turbulent sea.
As her world began to collapse, squeezing her into a dark hole with no obvious way out, Gabriela seriously contemplated suicide. But Gabriela knew she couldn’t take her own life because she didn’t want the baby in her womb to die.
While searching for help online, Gabriela found Human Coalition and spoke with a compassionate nurse who was able to bring calm and the direction she needed. Soon, Gabriela visited a pregnancy center where she got a free pregnancy test and an ultrasound that confirmed she was pregnant.
But what was she going to do now? Gabriela's mother had pulled her out of most everything that had to do with her social life — school, work, and many of her relationships. How could she manage a baby in her situation? How could she provide for her baby boy when she had nothing? Would keeping him be selfish and the wrong decision?
Because of the generosity of so many, Gabriela received long-term assistance through Continuum of Care, a network of support services already in place that Human Coalition helps clients to find and navigate. These are best-in-class organizations and mentors that provide in-depth care to hurting moms like Gabriela.
It was here that Gabriela finally got the support she so desperately needed. One-on-one counseling helped her to think clearly and overcome much of the anxiety and depression that was crippling her.
Gabriela was surrounded by a loving team that sheltered her with ongoing emotional, physical, and spiritual care.
As a young mother, Gabriela decided she wasn’t ready to parent a newborn but was committed to birthing her baby boy and was open to the idea of adoption. After counseling and adoption referral, she decided adoption was her best option to give her baby everything he needed to start a beautiful life.
The adoption process, though difficult, went well and Gabriela was able to choose the family that would love her son well. She even had time after he was born to be sure that adoption was the best choice for her.
Because of you, Gabriela didn’t become another heartbreaking statistic. She found a new life through Human Coalition. She found compassionate voices, practical help, and spiritual support to remind her she wasn’t alone.
Your generosity gave Gabriela access to counseling, housing, health care, and the strength to choose life for her preborn baby. And when she realized she wasn’t ready to be a parent, your support helped her make a loving adoption plan — one that gave her baby boy a beautiful future and gave Gabriela peace.
Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ to women like Gabriela. Because of you, life was chosen, hope was restored, and a mother’s heart was healed.