At 29 years old, "Brooke" had already survived cervical cancer and—in spite of predictions from her doctors—had given birth to a perfectly healthy child after her battle with cancer.
This was a child who was not expected to survive his mother’s cancer regimen. There were times throughout the pregnancy, in fact, that Brooke had all but resigned herself to the fact that she had lost her child.
While she and her doctors were pleasantly surprised to welcome her firstborn, however, Brooke received devastating news early in her second pregnancy. There was something wrong with the baby, and it was possible this child was beyond saving.
Flooded with memories of the pain and struggle of her first pregnancy, Brooke was losing sight of the triumph she’d experienced and was beginning to think of abortion as her only way out.
When she called Option Line, Heartbeat International’s 24-7 contact center and website that answers calls, texts, live chats and emails, Brooke asked about the abortion pill.
Option Line's goal, with each of the 650 contacts they receive every day, is to point them in the direction of hope and help.
As the Option Line consultant spoke with Brooke, she suggested that, before Brooke turned to abortion as her answer, she could visit a pregnancy center for a free ultrasound that would help her understand her situation more clearly.
But more than just information and help, the consultant was offering the one thing Brooke might need to continue her pregnancy: hope.
“It could be another miracle pregnancy,” the Option Line consultant reminded her.
Even though Brooke had been to a pregnancy center during her first pregnancy, she told the Option Line consultant she felt embarrassed to visit the center this time around—ashamed to be considering abortion.
After assuring her that pregnancy centers like those she had visited are full of compassionate, supportive and caring people who are there simply to love her, the consultant asked Brooke if they could pray together.
“I am so grateful she called. She was too,” the Option Line consultant said. “She will go to our centers and get support and another ultrasound and know she is not alone. There is help and hope.”
To learn more about Option Line, including how you can partner with this life-saving mission that reaches 250,000 women every year, click here.
