Doctors urged us to abort our baby, but they had misdiagnosed her

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.

Not long into the start of 2020, the world as we knew it was turned upside down as we experienced the Covid-19 pandemic. While the world went into “shutdown” mode, overnight, I became a homeschool teacher to my three toddlers. The world outside was a terrifying place, but I was secretly overjoyed at the opportunity to be home with my babies each day.

As we slowly transitioned back to some type of “normal,” I learned that I was pregnant with my husband’s and my fourth child. This news was incredibly joyful and was such a blessing from God during such an unknown and dark time. But at the 20-week ultrasound, doctors diagnosed our baby with a serious condition and advised us to have an abortion.

Although Covid restrictions were slowly lifting, visitors and guests were still limited during doctors’ appointments. So for my 20-week “anatomy scan,” I was alone, prohibited from bringing my husband with me. Though deflated, I knew God would be with me as I saw and learned about our beautiful baby.

A scary diagnosis

It was halfway through the appointment that the sonographer suddenly left to obtain the attention and opinion of the reading physician. Once the scan was complete, I was brought into the reading physician’s office to learn about my daughter.

The doctor explained that the ultrasound indicated she was missing part of her brain — the corpus callosum. Missing this portion of her brain could result in various concerns, from developmental delays and disability to seizure disorders.

As the doctor spoke, I was no longer able to clearly hear what he was telling me; all I could do was pray.

We would need to undergo further specialized testing to confirm the diagnosis, but as we awaited a fetal MRI, a team member from the hospital called to review the potential outcomes we should expect if indeed the diagnosis was confirmed.

They proceeded to ask me multiple times if I wished to continue with the pregnancy if my daughter were missing part of her brain. My husband and I are devout Catholics and pro-lifers, so our answer was a resounding yes.

That day, as I was asked if I would want to abort my daughter, I proceeded to repeatedly tell the hospital that there would not be any diagnosis that could make me terminate my baby. We would care for our child however she was born, and give her whatever care she required, for she was a beautiful child of God. 

For background, when I was a young girl in fourth grade, my teacher accidentally mentioned the topic of abortion during a conversation. I went home from school that day crying to my mom about what I had learned, and I was inconsolable for days. That deep disturbance and anguish over the killing of unborn human beings has never left me.

Days later, as I lay in the MRI machine, I choked back tears each time I was asked to hold my breath for the images to be taken. I prayed and interceded to our Blessed Mother and to St. Teresa of Lisieux during what felt like an agonizingly long time.

When all the scans were complete, a specialized radiologist called to tell me that my daughter's brain, despite the initial findings, was completely intact. It was truly a miracle.

A joyous birth and a new diagnosis

Fast forward four months, and our much-anticipated bundle of joy was born in January of 2021. 

Our daughter Anne was soon welcomed home with an abundance of love by her older siblings and family. While God carried us through the unknown diagnosis of her brain anatomy, we would soon come to learn that she was born with a congenital heart defect, which was not picked up on the fetal testing. 

In June of 2022, at 15 months of age, Anne underwent open-heart surgery. Her surgery still fell under the pandemic timeline, which added an additional level of concern. We voluntarily quarantined ourselves for months and transitioned our oldest child (who was only in kindergarten) to homeschooling, so that we could keep Anne healthy leading up to her surgery date.

Through many prayers, Anne’s surgery was a success. She spent a week in the hospital and many months at home recovering.

Today, she is a vibrant, playful, loving, and joyful five-year-old girl.

One hospital was quick to deem her life as insignificant if she were to be born with health issues. We thank God for her and all our children, each day.

My pushback against the hospital to prove that her life was precious has helped to further my motivation to help save babies and be a testament to the pro-life movement.

The gift of her presence and strength in our lives has inspired us to develop a support group for families and children who have or are dealing with the diagnosis of pediatric cardiac disease.

Through a collaboration with her cardiologist’s office and a local hospital system (unaffiliated with the hospital which had pushed for her termination), we have developed a newsletter, “heartline” for patients and their families to reach out to those who have walked this road and seek support, meetings, and acts of charity and service to our community. 

Each life is precious, no matter what the diagnosis or unknown outcome may be. With God, all things are possible. We may not know where our road will take us, but God will help us along if we place our faith in Him. 

The unknown may be dark and scary at times, but with God at one’s side, all things are possible.