I WENT FOR JUST A ROUTINE

CHECKUP WITH MY DOCTOR.

I HAD BEEN HAVING SOME KIND

OF ODD SYMPTOMS, SO WE RAN

SOME BLOOD TESTS.

IT WAS DETERMINED THEN THAT

I WAS INFERTILE.

IT WAS KIND OF SAD.

IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE IN

APRIL 2009, WHEN WE

DISCOVERED THAT I AM NEARLY

SIX WEEKS PREGNANT.

IT WAS A BIG SHOCK.

BY THE TIME WE WENT TO OUR

FIRST ULTRASOUND, WHICH WAS

AT 11 WEEKS, WE WERE REALLY

EXCITED.

WE COULD NOT WAIT TO SEE THE

LITTLE BEAN INSIDE MY

BELLY.

THEN I NOTICED THAT THE TECH

WASN'T TALKING ANYMORE.

SHE HAD BECOME VERY QUIET.

AND NOT REALLY RESPONDING TO

ME.

AND SHE EXCUSED HERSELF AND

LEFT THE ROOM.

SHE CAME BACK IN THE ROOM

WITH A DOCTOR, WHO JUST

LOOKED AT THE SCREEN AND

NODDED HER HEAD.

SHE EXPLAINED WITH HAD A SIX

MILLIMETRES CYSTIC HIGH

HYDROMA.

AND IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS AN

INDICATOR OF SOME GENETIC

DISORDER.

SHE KEPT GOING BACK TO THE

TURNER SYNDROME, AND GAVE US

SOME PRINTED INFORMATION.

WE WENT ON TO MEET WITH THE

GENETIC COUNSELLOR, WHO THEN

EXPLAINED IT TO US.

WITH TURNER SYNDROME, THERE

ARE MANY MANIFESTATIONS THAT

CAN HAPPEN.

MAJOR HEART DEFECTS THAT

REQUIRE OPEN-HEART

SURGERIES, AND KIDNEY

PROBLEMS, WHERE THEY ARE

MISSING A KIDNEY OR THEY

HAVE MISSHAPED KIDNEYS.

WESTBOUND NEXTWEBBED NEXT,

NECKS, AND THEN SHE SAID

LESS THAN 1% ACTUALLY

SURVIVE IT.

AND THAT'S WHEN SHE SAID YOU

NEED TO CONSIDER ABORTION

BECAUSE YOUR BABY WILL NOT

SURVIVE.

IF YOU DON'T ABORT, YOU CAN

EXPECT TO MISCARRY IN THE

NEXT FEW WEEKS.

SITTING IN THAT OFFICE,

LISTENINGING T LISTENING TO

A DOCTOR SAID YOU'RE

PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAVE

THIS CHILD.

YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE THIS

CHILD.

FEAR SET IN, NOT KNOWING

WHAT'S GOING ON.

CAN WE DEAL WITH A CHILD IF

SHE DOES MAKE IT.

IF YOU WAIT AND SHE

DOESN'T ABORT, YOU'LL HAVE

TO GO ANOTHER ROUTE BECAUSE

IT WILL BE TOO LATE TO

ABORT.

SO MAKE YOUR DECISION.

DON'T DWELL ON IT AND MOVE

ON.

WE WEREN'T GIVEN MUCH

HOPE.

WE WERE SENT HOME TO MAKE A

DECISION BASICALLY ON WHEN

TO ABORT.

I GRABBED MY LAPTOP AND

EVERYTHING I FOUND WAS

HORRIBLE.

I WENT OUTSIDE AND I

PRAYED ABOUT IT.

AND I THOUGHT, NO, I WOULD

LIKE TO GIVE GOD THE

OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE HERE.

I WENT BACK IN AND I SAID,

MONICA, PUT THAT STUFF

AWAY.

LET'S GO TO CHURCH.

I TOLD HIM, OKAY, YOU'RE

RIGHT.

WE NEED TO GO TO CHURCH.

THAT'S THE ONE PLAYS PLACE

I CAN FALL APART.

WE WENT AND SPOKE WITH THE

MINISTER.

AND HE SAID, DO YOU MIND IF

I LAY HANDS ON YOU.

AND THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION

CAME FORWARD AND LAID HANDS

ON US.

THEY REALLY FELT IT, AND

THEY PRAYED FOR HEALING.

THE ENTIRE CHURCH CAME

TOGETHER FOR US.

WHICH, TO ME, WAS THE

DECIDING FACTOR.

SHORTLY AFTER, I WENT AND

SAT BACK DOWN IN MY SEAT SO

THEY COULD BEGIN SERVICE.

AND THAT'S WHEN I FELT

SOMETHING HAPPENING IN THE

WOMB THAT I KNEW I WAS

UNEXPLAN ABLE.

UNEXPLAINABLE.

WHEN YOU'RE 11 WEEKS

PREGNANT, YOU DON'T FEEL A

THING.

BUT I WAS FEELING THE

EQUIVALENT OF A 10-POUND

BABY, AND IT WAS LIKE A BALL

OF ENERGY IN MY STOMACH AND

IT TICKLED TREMENDOUSLY.

I KNEW GOD WAS TOUCHING ME

AT THAT MOMENT.

HE HAD JUST REACHED INTO MY

WOMB, AND WHATEVER THAT WAS

WRONG THAT WAS GOING TO BE A

PROBLEM WAS NO LONGER GOING

TO BE A PROBLEM.

IT WAS FIXED.

WE FIRED THE CLINIC WE

INITIALLY WENT TO.

AND WE DECIDED TO FIND A NEW

DOCTOR, AFFILIATED WITH A

NEW HOSPITAL THAT WOULD BE

MORE POSITIVE.

WE WENT IN FOR THE 16-WEEK

ULTRASOUND, AND THEY

DISCOVERED THE CYSTIC

HYDROMA WAS COMPLETELY

GONE.

AND AT 23 WEEKS, THEY

DECIDED THEY NEEDED TO DO AN

ECHOCARDIOGRAM, AND SO THEY

CHECKED HER HEART, AND THEY

WERE LOOKING SO HARD FOR

THINGS.

AND THEY KEPT LOOKING, AND

THEY HAD ME COME BACK THREE

TIMES.

AND EACH TIME THEY WOULD

SPEND TWO HOURS LOOKING FOR

THIS PROBLEM.

AND FINALLY THEY SAID, IT'S

NOT THERE.

AND I SAID, OF COURSE IT'S

NOT THERE.

BUT THAT'S OKAY, YOU CAN

KEEP LOOKING.

WE JUST REALLY DELIGHTED

IN WATCHING THESE DOCTORS

SCRATCH THEIR HEAD.

IT WAS A FUN EXPERIENCE.

AND THEN FINALLY THE DAY

CAME THAT WE WENT INTO

LABOR.

MONICA HAD A CESAREAN.

THEY DELIVERED ELLIE, AND,

OF COURSE, THEY RUSH HER

OVER AND DO THEIR THING WITH

HER AND WRAPPED HER UP AND

HANDED HER TO ME.

AT THAT POINT, IT REALLY

SUNK IN WITH ME THAT SHE'S

HERE AND THAT SHE'S REAL AND

THAT SHE IS OKAY.

AND SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND

HEALTHY.

I LOOKED INTO HER EYES,

AND I KNEW SHE WAS

GOD-SENT.

I KNEW SHE HAD A PURPOSE.

AND WE HAD A NEW ADDITION TO

OUR FAMILY.

NEARLY 100% OF WOMEN

DIAGNOSED JUST WITH THE

CYSTIC HYDROMA, BEFORE IT IS

EVEN KNOWN IF IT IS DOWN

SYNDROME OR TURNER

SYNDROME --

TO LOOK HER OVER AND SEE

SHE HAD ALL OF HER FINGERS

AND ALL OF HER TOES.

-- NEARLY 100% OF WOMEN

ARE ADVISED TO ABORT, GO

AHEAD AND ABORT.

SHE WAS SCREAMING AND SHE

WAS ALIVE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M

SEEING WEEK AFTER WEEK ON

THE SUPPORT FORMS, IS I'VE

BEEN TOLD TO ABORT.

I TRY TO EXPLAIN TO THEM

THAT THERE IS MORE HOPE THAN

THAT.

I HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF

SEEING THIS LIVE CHILD.

THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO

ABORT.

AND I SHARE WITH THEM OUR

STORY.

WHERE NINE MONTHS BEFORE

WE WERE TOLD SHE WOULD NOT

LIVE.

PRAISE GOD.