Angel: The Best Chapter in My Story
Angel first came to Avail looking to navigate her unexpected pregnancy. She was only 19 and felt stuck in an incredibly difficult relationship with her boyfriend who was physically and verbally abusive to her. But the very day she decided to break up with him was the day that she found out she was pregnant.
She remembers taking the pregnancy test, hoping against hope it would be negative: “Even before I saw the result, even though I didn't want it to be true, I already knew it was. I didn't cry. I didn't feel a lot of emotions. I just felt myself going into a serious, problem-solving mode: What am I going to do?”
Angel felt trapped. She felt like she couldn’t leave her boyfriend until she knew what to do about the pregnancy. She didn’t have enough money to buy herself a sandwich, much less raise a child, and she couldn’t confide in her parents either: “All I could think about was what my family was going to think about me. I thought they would be so disappointed in me. They were already disappointed in me for not going to college and not having the kind of job they wanted. I felt like telling them that I was pregnant would be the nail in the coffin of their relationship with me.”
Moment of Revelation
Overwhelmed by these obstacles, Angel just wanted to get the situation over with, and she scheduled an abortion appointment. But with Avail’s support, she ended up walking down a different path. She remembers how her client advocate listened to her story, explained the many different resources and options available to her, and reassured her that what she already sensed deep down was true: she could be a mom. She recalls the moment of revelation:
“I realized, even though things felt overwhelming and impossible, if I could just find the right support I could do it—I could be a mom.”
As Angel processed the situation with her advocate, she found the courage to tell her family about the abuse she was experiencing and begin setting boundaries. The support she found at Avail throughout the rest of her pregnancy helped her focus on preparing to be a strong and committed mother.
“I used to be the main character in my life but now my priorities have totally changed. My son has become the best chapter in my story book.”
The Next Chapter
A couple years later, Angel reached out to Avail again to participate in their Healthy Relationships program with her new boyfriend, Drake. Together they met with an Avail client advocate. Angel shared that she finally realized how unhealthy it was for her to be connected to the father of the baby at all and that she had ended communication with him to protect herself and her son.
Angel said that Drake treats her well and has been a positive father figure in her son's life, a role she had grieved losing for him when she made the necessary but painful decision to cut ties with his biological father. She and Drake want Avail to help them build on their foundation and overcome past experiences of abuse both have dealt with.
Both Angel and Drake came to an Avail gathering where Angel shared her story. While she spoke, Drake watched, holding her son, feeding him, and rocking him to sleep. It was a beautiful picture of growth and flourishing in multiple areas of Angel’s life, a far cry from the overwhelmed and uncertain girl who first came to Avail feeling trapped in a brutal relationship.
“I’m not just yet where I’d like to be, but soon I will be, and I’d do it all over again if it meant I would have my son, Miles. Thank you to Avail once again for all their help in bringing me and Miles to this place!”
Your support makes it possible for us to walk with women like Angel through their whole journey of unexpected pregnancy, from decision making to after-birth support.