ROB AND I WERE IN OUR

EARLY 20s WHEN WE

DISCOVERED WE WERE

PREGNANT.

WE WERE BOTH SHOCKED AND

AFRAID.

YOU AUTOMATICALLY START

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE,

WHAT DOES IT HOLD FOR THE

BOTH OF US.

EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T

SOMETHING WE PLANNED, I WAS

EXCITED.

24 WEEKS AND MELANIE'S

WATER BROKE.

WE RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL

AND THEY IMMEDIATELY STARTED

INJECTING ME IN BOTH ARMS

EVERY 30 MINUTES, TRYING TO

STOP THE LABOR.

THAT BABY WAS COMING, AND

THERE WASN'T ANYTHING WE

COULD DO ABOUT IT.

I GAVE BIRTH TO A VERY

TINY BABY GIRL THAT NIGHT.

ONE POUND, NINE OUNCES.

MEGAN ALESE.

YOU WANTED TO SCOOP HER

UP AND HOLD HER, BUT THERE

WAS NO WAY THAT WAS GOING TO

HAPPEN.

I KNEW IN MY HEART THE

LORD WAS GOING TO HEAL HER

AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO

BE FINE.

THEN WE GOT THAT PHONE

CALL.

SHE DEVELOPED AN

INFECTION.

SHE WAS GREY AND VERY

FRAIL.

I CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, AND

I SAID, YOU CAN HEAL HER.

I KNOW YOU CAN HEAL HER.

I WATCHED THEM REMOVE ALL OF

THE TUBES AND PATCHES AND

EVERYTHING THAT COVERED HER

BODY.

AND THEY WRAPPED HER IN A

BLANKET AND THEY PLACED HER

IN MY ARMS.

AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I

WOULD HOLD MY BABY.

HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP

IT ALL TOGETHER.

HOW WAS I GOING TO CONSULT

HER.

WE WEREN'T PREPARED.

I JUST THOUGHT IF I COULD

GET PREGNANT AGAIN, THAT

WOULD FILL THAT VOID.

I HAD GOTTEN PREGNANT SO

EASILY THE FIRST TIME, SO I

THOUGHT I WOULD GET PREGNANT

THE FIRST OR SECOND TRY.

BUT SINCE I WAS GRIEVING SO

DEEPLY, THE DOCTORS SAID MY

BODY HAD ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN

AND THAT I WASN'T

OVULATING.

WE TRIED PRETTY MUCH

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN.

IF SOMEBODY HAD A

RECOMMENDATION, HAD AN IDEA,

WE DID ANYTHING WE COULD.

ROB WOULD GIVE ME INJECTIONS

IN MY STOMACH OR MY HIPS

EVERY MONTH.

I TOOK MY TEMPERATURE EVERY

DAY TO SEE WHERE MY BODY WAS

IN ITS CYCLE.

WHEN I WOULD GET THAT DIP,

IT WAS JUST LIKE I HAD

COMPLETELY FAILED.

ONCE AGAIN, I WASN'T

PREGNANT.

I WATCHED SO MANY OF MY

FRIENDS HAVE THEIR SECOND

AND THEIR THIRD CHILD WHILE

I WAITED.

WHY NOT US?

WE WANT A CHILD JUST AS BAD

AS THEY DO.

WE PROMISE WE'RE GOING TO BE

GOOD PARENTS.

MY MOM USED TO SAY,

MELANIE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE

ABLE TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE

ONE DAY.

AND I WOULD CRY AND I WOULD

SAY, I DON'T CARE.

I DON'T WANT TO BE THAT

PERSON.

I WANT TO BE THE ONE WHO

TAKES MY BABY HOME.

AND THEN I MET MY NIECE ON

FEBRUARY 18, 1994.

IT WAS REALLY HARD TO LOOK

AT HER, BUT SHE WAS AN

ANGEL.

I TOLD THE LORD, I WANT TO

PRAISE YOU EVEN WHEN MY

CIRCUMSTANCES DON'T.

A YEAR LATER, WE FOUND OUT

WE WERE EXPECTING.

I THINK I WAS PROBABLY THE

HAPPIEST PREGNANT WOMAN

WALKING.

WHEN THEY LAID HIM IN MY

ARMS, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY LOVE

AT FIRST SIGHT.

HE LOOKS JUST LIKE ME.

ROB AND I WERE BOTH

OVERJOYED TO BE PARENTS.

BUT I STILL WAS NOT READY TO

LET GO OF THAT DREAM OF

HAVING A LITTLE GIRL.

WE TRIED FOR SEVERAL YEARS

AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY

LUCK.

I STARTED TO WONDER, WHAT IF

I WAS TO GET PREGNANT, WHAT

IF SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN TO

ME?úe

AND I BEGAN TO PRAY, LORD, I

TRUST YOU.

IF I NEVER GET PREGNANT

AGAIN, I TRUST THAT YOU KNOW

SOMETHING I DON'T.

WE JUST COMPLETELY PUT IT IN

THE LORD'S HANDS.

AND THEN IN JANUARY OF 2001

ROB FOUND A LUMP IN MY LEFT

BREAST.

WE SCHEDULED SURGERY FOR

JANUARY 22nd, AND WHEN I

CAME TO, MY HUSBAND AND THE

SURGEON WERE STANDING

THERE.

AND WE HAD TO TELL HER

SHE HAD BREAST CANCER AND

SHE WAS PREGNANT.

MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,

REALLY, GOD?

IF YOU KNEW I HAD CANCER,

WHY WOULD YOU ALLOW ME TO

GET PREGNANT?

AND SOMETHING INSIDE OF ME

JUST SAID, HE MUST HAVE AN

AWESOME PLAN IF HE WOULD

ALLOW THIS.

WHAT IF I GET IN HIS WAY?

WHAT IF I DON'T TRUST HIM

ENOUGH TO SEE IT THROUGH?

I HAD A MASTECTOMY AND

STARTED TAKING TREATMENTS.

SHE IS FEELING HORRIBLE,

AND I HAVE MY SON, AND I

HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT

HIS MOM WAS GOING THROUGH.

THE YEAR THAT I HAD

CANCER WAS ONE OF THE MOST

PEACEFUL TIMES OF MY LIFE.

IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE THAT.

I WAS BALD AND PREGNANT AND

HAD ONE BREAST.

BUT ONCE WE SURRENDERED

EVERYTHING TO THE LORD, IT

WAS AMAZING TO WATCH HIM

WORK.

THE PREGNANCY CONTINUED

AND THE BABY WAS A LITTLE

SMALL.

WE WERE TOLD THAT

PREMATURE BIRTH WAS NORMAL

WITH CHEMOTHERAPY.

SEPTEMBER 20th WAS SO

PEACEFUL AND FUN, IF LABOR

CAN BE FUN.

SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.

MY WIFE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.

TO FINALLY BE HOLDING MY

DAUGHTER IN MY ARMS, IT WAS

LIKE GOD WAS ANSWERING AN

11-YEAR-OLD PRAYER.

THE DOCTORS SAY THAT HAD I

GOTTEN PREGNANT BEFORE I WAS

DIAGNOSED, THEY

PROBABLY

WOULDN'T HAVE FOUND THE

LUMP.

I THINK

THAT

IS SO

GOD-ORCHESTRATED.

ROMANS 8: 28 TELLS US "IN

ALL THINGS HE WILL WORK FOR

GOOD."

WHEN I WAS WALKING THROUGH

ALL OF THAT, I COULD NOT SEE

ANY GOOD IN THE SUFFERING

THAT GOD WAS ALLOWING IN MY

LIFE.

I WAS SO HURT AND I WAS SO

ANGRY WITH THE LORD.

IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT FOR ME

TO BE MISERABLE THAN IT WAS

FOR ME TO HONOR GOD.

NOW WHEN I THINK THE

SCRIPTURE, ROMANS 8: 28, I

LOOK AT

IT COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT.

I CAN SEE NOW THAT GOD TAKES

THE HURTS AND

DISAPPOINTMENTS AND ALL OF

OUR PAIN, AND EVEN OUR SINS,

AND HE TURNS IT INTO

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.