Your Impact

I'm a senior in high school and a pretty good athlete. I was planning on going to college and was even looking at the possibility of an athletic scholarship. So when I found out that I was pregnant, I thought that I would just get an abortion and move on, go to college and never give this another thought.

I made a few calls but I was scared to actually make the abortion appointment. I didn't want my mother to find out and I worried that by using my health insurance she would know. I didn't have any money to pay for the abortion on my own either. So when I called Your Options and they explained that it was important to first have an ultrasound and to learn about all of my options and that their services were free, I made an appointment.

I met with a really nice advocate who went through the options that I had - I thought that maybe adoption was something that I could do but I was still planning on taking the abortion pill. When I had the ultrasound, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I saw a baby and I heard a heartbeat even though I was not even eight weeks pregnant. I was so surprised because everyone I know talks about abortion like it's no big deal. Then when the nurse explained the two different abortion procedures to me, it honestly made me physically sick. I blurted out that I would be murdering my baby and that I could never live with myself if I did that.

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was tell my mom but she was okay with the news. She was disappointed but we are working out a plan so that I can still go to college. She has promised to help me and I have so much more love and respect for my mom. My baby is due in November - maybe a Thanksgiving baby - and I will always be thankful I went to Your Options.

I thought abortion was my only option. My life was a mess. I found myself sitting in Planned Parenthood waiting for the doctor to come in when a woman came in and told me that I was too far along to take the abortion pill and that I needed to go back out to the waiting room and wait for a doctor to fit me in for a surgical abortion. I asked how far along I was and if I could see a picture of the ultrasound but the woman wouldn't give me any information.

While sitting in the waiting room, I began to notice how sad or mad all the other women looked. It felt depressing and suddenly I just wanted to get out of there. The receptionist tried to talk me out of leaving but I just couldn't stay there anymore. When I got outside, this older woman came up to me and asked me if I needed any help. I told her that I was frustrated because I expected to get an abortion but now I really didn't know how far along I was and what was going on. She told me about a medical clinic that provided free ultrasounds and even called them for me to get me an appointment.

I was treated completely different at this medical clinic. Not only was the nurse caring and professional but she explained everything to me as she did my ultrasound. I learned that I was almost twelve weeks pregnant and I just couldn't take my eyes off of the screen - my baby was so active! The advocate I met with allowed me to share my situation. She listened without judgement or offering quick solutions but helped me to see that it was possible for me to be a good mother - something I always wanted to be.

My son is the best thing that ever happened to me. While not everything is perfect in my life - he is. I am so glad that I found Your Options and that I got the chance to be a mother.

My name is Wilma Burdo. I am 20 years old and I came to the United States from Thailand. My mom wanted me to study in the states so I came here on a student visa. During my time here I met a man who seemed to be very nice. We dated for a few months but I noticed that he was very controlling and did not want me to do anything without him. We had already slept together and he knew that I was pregnant.

He kept pushing me to have an abortion, but I did not want to abort my baby. I ran as far away from him as possible and the student visa ran out. I called my mom who has a friend here in the states that took me in and in exchange I cared for her children so she could work. My mom did not know that I was pregnant. I went on line and looked for a clinic to confirm what I already knew was true. I made an appointment and walked into Your Options Medical.

The people were kind and they seemed to truly care about me and what I was dealing with. Hope started to grow in me that maybe I could have this baby. My advocate, Marva explained my options and I left thinking I am keeping my baby. This worked out very well until I told my mom’s friend that I was pregnant. At first she seemed to be o.k. with the idea, but when she saw that it might take me away from taking care of her children, she began to get demanding and along with my mom they came up with a different plan for me. They insisted that I have the baby and then send him or her to Thailand where my mom would raise the child.

I had major problems with this and I tried to talk to my mom but she would not hear of it so I called Marva at Your Options Medical and we had another heart to heart. She began to talk again about adoption and I liked the idea especially if I would be the one to pick out the right family for my child. I wanted a family with a stay at home mom to make sure that the baby would be well cared for and loved. In the meantime things at home got really difficult. The lady that I lived with was looking for money to cover my room and board even though I continued to watch her children. She wanted me to send my baby away. I visited several adoption agencies and liked Adoption with Love the best because they would pay for my room and board until I had the baby and my expenses to travel back and forth.

After many months of planning my little one Angelina Darlene was born on 3/13/18 healthy in spite of all that I have been through, but if I did not get the help that I needed from Your Options Medical I probably would have aborted. I had nothing, but they gave me hope.
I stayed with my baby for two days in the hospital before signing on the dotted line for her to be adopted. It was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do, but my advocate said that it was the bravest thing that anyone has ever done.