Meet Katie
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My name is Katherine, and I am 22 years old, a graduate of UCF, and like most people my age or younger, this pregnancy was not quite planned. When I found out I was 4 weeks pregnant, I was scared, terrified that I could be so careless as to let this happen. I was months away from graduating college with my bachelor’s degree, working a wonderful full-time job in my industry, and enjoying life. The baby’s father and I were never in a relationship and had lost touch for the past month after we spent only one night together. He was not very supportive to my feelings during this time, and we fought constantly. He had been in relationships before with pregnancies that resulted in abortion. He also did not believe that it was his baby and wanted me to get a prenatal paternity test done before he would even talk to me. I was distraught after getting his reaction of not believing that it was his baby, so I went to my parents.
My parents are my support system and devout Catholics, as they raised me to be as well. It was hard, and I was even more terrified to tell them than I was of being pregnant. We sat down for dinner one night, and about 2 minutes into the meal, I had to tell them because the anxiety was eating away at me. My dad was quiet, and my mom just grabbed my hand, as I sobbed, and told me it was going to be okay. They said I needed to educate myself and look at my options. I knew that abortion was not a decision for me. I knew that regardless of the choice I made for my daughter, the most important decision would be choosing life for her. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she was loved, cared for, and able to have the chance to live a fulfilling life. After making the decision to choose life for my baby, I started to explore adoption options, as well as the cost of raising a child and co-parenting. During that time, I worked closely with Catholic Charities to further my case in the adoption process.
At about 5 months, I started reconsidering my decision because of the support my parents offered to get me back on my feet. I was not able to afford living on my own anymore because I was now going to be a single parent, and my job had furloughed me when the pandemic hit. Catholic Charities told me to reach out to JMJ Pregnancy Center for help. After my first meeting at JMJ, the overwhelming feeling of becoming a single mother did not seem so scary. Ashley and the whole team always told me I could come once a month to get anything I needed – maternity clothes, vitamins, diapers, wipes, anything! Through the end of my pregnancy, they also offered to assist me in applying for childcare assistance through another local program and even sent me leads on work-from-home jobs. Although this global pandemic has made it tough to find work and childcare, JMJ has continued to seek out ways I could regain my stability. I am truly grateful in every way for how JMJ has helped me and my daughter, Charlotte, not only survive, but truly thrive! We are happy, healthy, and full of love!
Your Friend,
Katherine
My parents are my support system and devout Catholics, as they raised me to be as well. It was hard, and I was even more terrified to tell them than I was of being pregnant. We sat down for dinner one night, and about 2 minutes into the meal, I had to tell them because the anxiety was eating away at me. My dad was quiet, and my mom just grabbed my hand, as I sobbed, and told me it was going to be okay. They said I needed to educate myself and look at my options. I knew that abortion was not a decision for me. I knew that regardless of the choice I made for my daughter, the most important decision would be choosing life for her. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she was loved, cared for, and able to have the chance to live a fulfilling life. After making the decision to choose life for my baby, I started to explore adoption options, as well as the cost of raising a child and co-parenting. During that time, I worked closely with Catholic Charities to further my case in the adoption process.
At about 5 months, I started reconsidering my decision because of the support my parents offered to get me back on my feet. I was not able to afford living on my own anymore because I was now going to be a single parent, and my job had furloughed me when the pandemic hit. Catholic Charities told me to reach out to JMJ Pregnancy Center for help. After my first meeting at JMJ, the overwhelming feeling of becoming a single mother did not seem so scary. Ashley and the whole team always told me I could come once a month to get anything I needed – maternity clothes, vitamins, diapers, wipes, anything! Through the end of my pregnancy, they also offered to assist me in applying for childcare assistance through another local program and even sent me leads on work-from-home jobs. Although this global pandemic has made it tough to find work and childcare, JMJ has continued to seek out ways I could regain my stability. I am truly grateful in every way for how JMJ has helped me and my daughter, Charlotte, not only survive, but truly thrive! We are happy, healthy, and full of love!
Your Friend,
Katherine