{"id":313025,"date":"2024-05-30T16:41:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T21:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=313025"},"modified":"2024-06-01T01:11:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-01T06:11:49","slug":"doctors-pressured-abort-one-words-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/doctors-pressured-abort-one-words-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors pressured us to abort at every visit, until one spoke words of hope we’d never forget"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Congratulations! How far along are you? Are you having a boy or a girl? Is that what you were hoping for?<\/span><\/i> It doesn\u2019t matter as long as you have a healthy baby.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

A <\/span>healthy <\/span><\/i>baby. Little did they know, I wasn’t carrying the healthy baby of which they spoke. This<\/span> well-meaning statement got me thinking: <\/span>have we reached a point where we glorify health more than we<\/span><\/i> honor life itself? <\/span><\/i>I<\/span> might not have been carrying a healthy baby in my womb, but I was carrying a <\/span>life<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At our 20-week anatomy ultrasound, my husband and I learned that our youngest son, Michael Patrick,<\/span> had a lower urinary tract obstruction, which affected multiple body systems. He had no amniotic fluid, his<\/span> lungs were underdeveloped, his kidneys were severely damaged, and his abdominal musculature was<\/span> compromised. <\/span><\/p>\n

Michael’s case was so severe that he was given little to no chance of surviving.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Michael’s ultrasound (courtesy of Tricia Borg)<\/p><\/div>\n

We were encouraged to consider aborting Michael at almost every appointment from that moment on. I<\/span> never imagined being put in a situation where I would be encouraged to abort my child once\u2013let alone<\/span> countless times. <\/span><\/p>\n

The most unsettling part was the misguided notion of compassion. Everyone was<\/span> extremely kind and caring while simultaneously suggesting I kill my unborn child due to his medical<\/span> complexities or if I thought it was too much for me to handle. Laden with fear, I could see how mothers<\/span> would consider abortion amidst the half-truths and the deception that all suffering can and should be<\/span> avoided. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was surreal to carry my unborn baby knowing that he may not live outside of my womb, but I<\/span> cherished every minute of my time with him. My job as his mother was, and always will be, to love him<\/span> through every moment of his life, including the difficult ones.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we sought to preserve Michael\u2019s life and dignity in utero, we also were dedicated to restoring his body<\/span> as much as modern medicine would allow. We made sure that whatever interventions we chose, we were<\/span> doing it f<\/span>or <\/span><\/i>him and not <\/span>to <\/span><\/i>him. Fetal surgery was his only chance at survival, but the chances of surviving<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>surgery in utero were about 5% at best. <\/span><\/p>\n

As our hope began to fade, one physician told us something I<\/span> would never forget: <\/span>Someone has to be in the 5%, why can’t it be him? <\/span><\/i>I<\/span> repeated that phrase to myself<\/span> every day for the rest of my pregnancy. While our doctors were realistic about the challenges that lay<\/span> ahead, they also offered us hope\u2013and hope is a powerful medicine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael underwent his first successful fetal surgery, but a few days later my water broke, sending me into<\/span> labor. The attending physician told me that it was not worth it for the NICU team to be present at Michael\u2019s<\/span> delivery because he was too sick and there was nothing they could do to save him if he was born<\/span> prematurely. <\/span><\/p>\n

They recommended I deliver him that night and hold him until he died.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Perinatal hospice can be a beautiful option, but we chose to give Michael one more fighting chance. If he<\/span> was willing to fight for his life, so were we. I received medications that successfully stopped my<\/span> contractions, but we were told that I would likely deliver Michael within the next 7-10 days, given the<\/span> circumstances. The staff insisted that we create a comfort care plan and arrange his funeral while we<\/span> waited in the hospital for labor to begin again.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a nurse myself, I had confidence in medicine but also prayed with every fiber of my being that the<\/span> doctors were wrong. I stopped leaking amniotic fluid a few days later after a miraculous intercession and<\/span> was sent home on bedrest when doctors confirmed that not only had Michael’s amniotic sac resealed, but<\/span> his amniotic fluid levels were normal for the first time ever. Michael needed a second fetal surgery a few<\/span> weeks later, which helped to safely get him through the rest of my pregnancy alive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Michael as an infant (courtesy of Tricia Borg)<\/p><\/div>\n

After surviving a difficult pregnancy, Michael went on to defy the odds again, overcoming kidney failure,<\/span> respiratory failure, two different types of malignant cancers, and countless surgeries\u2013all before his 4th<\/span> birthday. <\/span><\/p>\n

Through every obstacle he has encountered, Michael has maintained an unshakable joy and a<\/span> smile that can light up a room. He is proof that there can be joy amidst suffering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We were told a lot of things at the beginning: he would not survive, we would never hear the sound of his<\/span> voice, he would never talk, he would never walk, he would not be able to do much of anything. Michael<\/span> has done everything they said he never would do, but he has done it in his own way and in his own time.<\/span><\/p>\n

And even if he never did any of those things, the simple gift of his life would be enough.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Michael on his bike (courtesy of Tricia Borg)<\/p><\/div>\n

Today, Michael\u2019s body is no longer failing\u2014it’s <\/span>thriving <\/span><\/i>after finally receiving a kidney transplant from my<\/span> husband. It was an incredible gift to witness the privilege of a father joining his son in his fight for life in<\/span> such a tangible way. Now, Michael loves nothing more than to be together with our family and in on the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>action with his brothers and sister who have been his best motivation and his biggest fans from the start.<\/span> He has changed our family for the better.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael has complex medical needs that are a part of who he is, but they do not define him. He will never<\/span> receive a bill of perfect health, but he is so much more than the countless diagnoses listed on his medical<\/span> chart. His body has many scars, but those scars help to tell his story. And to tell Michael’s story is to tell of<\/span> the greatness of our God and of the precious gift of life. <\/span><\/p>\n

And life is always worth fighting for.<\/span><\/p>\n

The DOJ put a pro-life grandmother in jail for protesting the killing of preborn children. Please take 30-seconds to TELL CONGRESS: STOP THE DOJ FROM TARGETING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS.<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.\u00a0 Congratulations! How far along are you? Are you having a boy or a girl? Is that what you were hoping for? It doesn\u2019t matter as long as you have a healthy baby.\u00a0 A healthy baby. Little did they know, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990,"featured_media":313027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,9455,9459],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoctors pressured us to abort at every visit, until one spoke words of hope we'd never forget<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Everyone was extremely kind and caring while simultaneously suggesting I kill my unborn child due to his medical complexities....\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/doctors-pressured-abort-one-words-hope\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctors pressured us to abort at every visit, until one 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