Support Courtney and Baby Eli
It’s every mother’s worst nightmare.
Courtney and her husband were asked the question “Do you want to terminate your pregnancy?” Courtney was informed that her placenta has cancer that gives her child less than a 1% chance of surviving outside the womb and will also result in metastasis to her liver, lungs, and brain if she continues to carry this pregnancy.
On January 21, 2015, Courtney and her husband Chris went for a routine anatomy scan to reveal the gender of their unborn child. To their great delight it was soon announced that their little baby was a boy. They printed off the ultrasound pictures and the technician said, “The doctor will be in shortly to dismiss you” It was then that things began to change.
Courtney was told that her that her amniotic fluid looked low and that her placenta had either holes in it or pockets of fluid. The doctor decided to schedule another ultrasound with the high-risk office upstairs the following day.
Courtney writes, “As we left, I couldn’t help but cry on the way home. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong."
She continues "The next day, after the ultrasound, a doctor came in, pulled up a chair and put her hand on my leg. The technician grabbed a box of tissues, and sat down beside her. She began to tell me that I have what is called a partial molar pregnancy, where my placenta has a chromosomal abnormality that has most likely affected the baby. He would not make it and the risk to me in continuing to carry him put me in grave danger. The placenta would become cancerous and spread to my lungs, liver and brain.
She recommended I terminate the pregnancy. 'You are our main concern.' she said.
My mind reeled with all of the information, but it all came to a stop when I heard those words. I am the priority? You think the best choice is for me to kill my child?!? What about that little life I just saw moving around on that screen? What about him?
I told them that termination was not an option for me, so we needed to look at different options. She sighed, and then began to tell me that this will be extremely risky to me and that I will be monitored closely. The baby might not even make it another day, much less another week.
So with that we left the hospital and headed home; grieved, confused and heart-broken.”
We are raising money for Courtney knowing that her high-risk medical expenses are going to be insurmountable for making a decision which is natural, moral, and biblical: the decision to prioritize the life of her unborn child.
When asked about why she would not terminate the pregnancy Courtney answered “I am no hero. I didn’t make a difficult decision. I only did what I believe is right.” She went on to say “Here’s how I knew that decision was right: I know my God. I don’t mean this in a self-righteous way. But rather, because I know Him and what His heart is, I didn’t hesitate when it came to making a serious decision.
Yes, I could die. But I would rather die walking in obedience to the Lord, than live in rebellion against Him.”
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. Psalm 139:13-18a
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
Courtney ended her post with:
“As a disciple of Christ, I am not living for this life anyways. This is not my home. Earth is not my goal. I am striving for the eternal. This perspective, again, made my decision an easy one.”
