Shelly was a happily married suburban Mom in her thirties, with an eight-year-old son whom she adored.

She was ecstatic to find out that she was pregnant with her second child…but in the early days of preparing her mind and her home to welcome a new baby, the reality of her situation began to set in.

Her husband was a fisherman and was gone for months at a time, which made “solo parenting” when he was away difficult.

On top of the slight familial strain, the couple had recently experienced a slew of financial setbacks.

The longer Shelly contemplated her situation, the more convinced she became that it seemed impossible for her to raise another child.

With a heavy heart, Shelly decided to get an abortion.

Yet, she was filled with guilt, and was having trouble telling her husband – whom she knew would be determined to want to parent the baby.

While he was gone on a work trip, Shelly began looking online for an abortion facility.

Thanks to your support of Heroic Media’s OAASYS (On-demand Alternatives to Abortion SYStem) Emergency Response ads, Shelly was connected with OAASYS’s Pregnancy Help Center partner in Tampa, Florida instead.

Upon her arrival for her appointment at the pregnancy center, she found a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The staff welcomed her and made her feel comfortable.

They asked her questions about her life and her situation and listened to her with kindness and understanding.

After listening to her story, they helped her to explore her options and shared information about resources available to help her better understand her choices.

They even shared the Gospel – with permission – and Shelly was very interested in learning more – even about getting connected to a church.

Next, they offered a free ultrasound.

Shelly happily accepted – and she was shocked to see that her baby was far more developed than she expected!

She left the center in tears – happy tears – feeling more empowered and clear-minded as a mother.

She realized that she had the strength and the courage to raise her child.

With the help of the pregnancy center, she was ready to tackle the financial and work strain that she felt sure she would have to face with a new baby.

Shelly was relieved and excited to finally tell her husband the news, and he was immediately filled with joy and excitement!

Together, they started to make plans for their baby’s future!

Shelly was so thankful for the pregnancy center and the support she received from the staff – sparing her from making an abortion decision she would later regret.

She was ready to start the next chapter of her life and was looking forward to mothering her new baby.

Praise be to God – and thank you for the critical role you played in helping rewrite these life stories!

You are heroic!

Matthew 4:19: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”