Celebrating Success - Denise's Story
When Mary found out that she was to be with child,
she asked, “How will this be?”
The angel replied, “For nothing is impossible with God.”
Luke 1:34, 37
“I was 16 when I found out I was pregnant,” Denise explains. She was three months along and knew that she had to tell her parents. When they heard the news they were furious, and thought that she had ruined her life. At that moment, she felt alone; she didn’t have any hope to finish high school and go to college.
Denise (not her real name) did not know anything about being pregnant or being a mother. She looked for answers and was referred to the UMCH Best Beginnings / Nurse-Family Partnership program through the health department. Best Beginnings provides nurse visits and services to low-income, first-time mothers. At the first meeting with the Best Beginnings staff, she remembers being shown a small plastic baby doll that represented the size of her baby at that stage of her pregnancy. She was given information and took notes from Gayla, the nurse that was assigned to her.
Through their meetings over the course of her pregnancy, Gayla became a strong motivator for Denise. “I would not be in school without Gayla. She would tell me, ‘It’ll be hard, and you know it, but you are strong and we’ll get through this.’ This was not the end; it was the beginning of something new.”
As she received information about her pregnancy, she was also gaining emotional support. Anytime Denise wanted to vent and let out her anger and frustration she would call Gayla. Her confidence was growing and she knew that she could make a difference in her own life and the life of her child. She realized hope for a brighter future.
When it was time, Denise gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Because of the help she received through our Best Beginnings program she knew exactly how to care for him, and what to do to help him along in life. Through the Best Beginnings program, nurse visits can continue until the child is two years of age. Gayla was able to help Denise make sure she was taking care of herself and her baby.
“There are good people out there that care,” Denise remembers a church member who donated a walker for her son. “She wrote me a letter, so I wrote back and we communicated for a while. It was great to have someone that was willing to help.” Anytime her son was crying, she would put him in the walker and he would be happy.
While in the program, Denise got her driver’s license, graduated high school, and enrolled in college. This May, Denise will graduate with a Culinary Arts degree at Rend Lake College. She loves to bake and create wedding cakes. Denise excitedly explains, “I’ve always loved to work with ceramics, building with my hands. Now I build with fondant!”
In addition to school, she has a full-time job, and has learned how to maintain healthy relationships. She still lives at home, and her mother helps her watch her son. She also keeps in contact with Gayla, “I’ve got a friend out of it.” Denise stills looks through the notes that she took over the two years that she was with the Best Beginnings program. She is so proud of her two year old son, “He just started saying full sentences. He is advanced for his age.”
This year, through changes and economic hardships, UMCH has still been able to provide programs and services to help over 250 young people like Denise realize the possibilities of their future. Sadly, during this summer, we had to lay off 8 employees, including 4 staff from the Best Beginnings / Nurse-Family Partnership program. More importantly, with the reduction in staff, Best Beginnings was not able to continue to help the 90 mothers that were already in the program. We were forced to turn away 45 first-time mothers, and their babies, including cutting short the time that would benefit young mothers like Denise.
Just as Mary asked when she found out she was with child, and many of our young people and families ask when they are faced with hardships; UMCH has had to ask, “How will this be?” How will we be able to continue through these hardships? God continues to give us his answer through prayer, dedicated volunteers, and generous donations from caring people like you. Fortunately, several of the employees who were laid off have been able to return to work at UMCH. We are now starting to grow the number of youth and families we are helping.
There are many opportunities for you to make a difference in a young person’s life by supporting the mission and ministry of the United Methodist Children’s Home. We prayerfully ask that you consider a monetary donation this Christmas Season to help us provide possibilities to all the youth and families we serve. “For nothing is impossible with God.”
