Struggling mom bravely faces terrifying diagnosis. Beats the odds!

Having grown up in foster homes and now a single mom of two little girls, Kristen had very little support.

She relied on her own street smarts and common sense to make her way in life.

Because of economic and social challenges, Kristen’s access to healthcare had been intermittent at best, but as a long time patient of the Sacramento Life Center, Kristen knew where to turn. She dropped into the Life Center for a pregnancy test.

Pregnancy complicated things for Kristen. She felt overwhelmed and she worried she would never get ahead in life, but she also knew the joy a baby could bring. Maybe this would be the little boy she had so often imagined.

So, Kristen chose life!

As her pregnancy progressed, Kristen kept us updated. We gave her emotional support and anticipated with her the joy of her baby’s birth. One day, Kristen called in tears and shared the news that her baby had gastroschisis, a birth defect. His intestines were growing outside of his abdomen.

Our nurse gave Kristen information about her baby’s condition, referred her to where she could get more information, shared with her what she could expect, and assured her of specialists who would be able to help with this type of anomaly. As the pregnancy continued, Kristen received lots of love and encouragement from the Sacramento Life Center staff.

Baby Sa Rel was born by C-section, weighed in at 3 lbs. 9 oz. and received immediate corrective surgery. He is now 7 months old, beginning to crawl, smiling, laughing, and enjoying the love of his mom and two sisters.

In the end, Kristen was blessed with the precious baby boy she'd always wanted.

We were blessed with the knowledge that when her world was turned upside and she was faced with an unexpected diagnosis and uncertain future, she felt comforted, supported, and accepted by her Life Center family and Kristen again chose life!