Jen was born into a Chinese-American family at Arlington Hospital, right here in Falls Church. And while her family was not rich by any means, Jen grew up enjoying a comfortable lifestyle.
But that comfort came with a high cost. Jen’s parents worked long hours, and as a result, she was left alone for long periods of time in her youth. “I came from a broken childhood. My parents were never there.” She was practically raised by her brother, who was six years older. Without adequate supervision, Jen was sexually abused, setting her on a destructive path.
At a young age, Jen had been through more violence and abuse than many see in a lifetime. She had already been married and quickly divorced from an abusive man. She was left with a crippling addiction to drugs, and was struggling to care for her young son, Jacob.
When she found herself pregnant again, she felt she had no choice but to have an abortion. Like so many women, she learned too late that an abortion is a procedure that does much more than just terminate a pregnancy. Every abortion takes a heavy toll, leaving a wide wake of collateral damage.
After her first abortion, when she found herself pregnant again, Jen and her fiancé came to Hope for support. The loving encouragement they received from Hope changed their minds, and they decided they wanted to keep their baby. Tragically, things got harder, and rather than returning to Hope, she found herself having a second abortion.
At almost 30 years old, Jen was distraught to find herself facing a fourth unplanned pregnancy. With one child who was seven, two previous abortions, and struggling to become sober through methodone treatments, she was desperate for hope.
The timing for another pregnancy could not be worse. Her fiancé of four years had just been arrested. She was evicted from their apartment and forced to move back in with her family.
“After two abortions, it just takes a toll on you mentally, physically, emotionally.” She didn’t want another abortion, but knew she needed support. So, she went to Google and found Hope, again. Desperate, alone, and four months pregnant, Jen sent us a text. The response she received from Hope was simple, but profound: “You don’t have to do this alone. We are here for you.”
That one text impacted Jen greatly, and she has kept it on her phone ever since. Jen came in and began meeting with Savannah, our Client Services Administrator, on a weekly basis. She turned a corner, and escaped the downward spiral of bad decisions, telling us, “If I could go back, I wouldn’t have had those abortions.”
Just a few short months later, baby Jeremiah was born. Jen continues to come to back to Hope on a weekly basis for support, friendship, and motherhood education. “Your programs have benefited me in such a huge way. I am so glad that I was able to find the light at the end of the tunnel. You guys really care – that makes a difference. You made me believe in God again.”