The best way out is always through.
There’s a line from a Robert Frost poem impactful to me. He states, “The best way out is always through.” A simple, powerful truth that applies to all of us at various times in our lives, regardless the obstacle we’re facing and certainly it is true for our clients. Their lives are forever changed by their experience, regardless of their choice related to their pregnancy, and your support provides the way for them to find strength and hope at a time that may be dark without any hope for them.
In reading Whitney’s book, Sick of Me, what a great title – Whitney, I wonder if I could get a signed copy to send to the Kardashian family…J Seriously…she says, “New growth rarely happens in old places” – God forces us out of comfort and into change. Our faith is strengthened as we trust in God to lead us step by step – and that may be day to day or literally moment by moment. When a decision for life is made at Thrive, often the work is just beginning. Through our Resource Specialist, educational curriculum and mentoring, the difficult work ensues providing the framework of a support system and sense of community and family our clients are often lacking.
We encountered a client last year who illustrates this strengthened faith beautifully. She (we’ll call her Rachel) was homeless when she came to us and learned she was pregnant. It was so hard for our staff to watch her leave the clinic after her first appointment knowing she would be sleeping outside that night, and many more nights, without divine intervention. They immediately got to work on a housing search for her. Miraculously, despite her many hardships, she chose life for her baby AND, miracle number two, a bed was found for her a nearby maternity home. She went on to have a healthy baby girl. Soon after her arrival, this little one provided another blessing by bridging a divide between her mom and grandmother. Their reconciliation involved our client moving back to her home state and stability with family as she’s worked to complete her education and training for a job to support herself and young daughter.
In 2024, your help provided the way for Rachel and 166 others to choose life because of the help and hope they received at Thrive. You helped protect another 598 babies whose moms were at high risk for termination due to difficult life circumstances, just like Rachel.
One new service added in 2024 is called APR, or Abortion Pill Reversal. As you may know, the in-home chemical or medication abortion now represents the majority of abortions in the US, close to 60%. This involves a woman taking a series of pills to terminate a pregnancy in her own home. The pills are taken in a two-step process over a 48-hour period to initiate the termination. APR can stop this process and preserve the pregnancy after the first pill is taken, if help is sought quickly; every hour counts.
A Thrive client (we’ll call her Nicole) last year learned she was pregnant and already had the pills ready and waiting at home. She told her Thrive nurse, Gina, her plan was to terminate. Of course, Gina encouraged this client to reconsider told her directly “we can help you – even after the abortion process is started if you change your mind”. Just a week later, we received a call from the frantic client asking to speak to her nurse. Gina was on duty that day and told her to come in that afternoon and the reversal medications were implemented immediately. APR clients are closely monitored for a period of weeks as they follow the protocol to rescue their pregnancy. We want to respect her privacy, but I’m happy to report this case was our first successful reversal rescue, with a healthy baby boy born in January!
Those who do make the choice for abortion are hard, yet I am sharing stories like these today to inspire us, and I hope they inspire and encourage you. We’re excited to share that the relocation and buildout of our new Irving clinic is just days away from completion. We are thrilled to move to a medical building at Baylor Scott & White where we plan to expand our hours, and we’ve increased our capacity by adding an additional medical room. With this expansion as well as increased hours for our mobile clinic and new opportunities through health fairs and other events, we have a greater reach into communities who need us as we identify new services to bring women through our doors to find the care and answers they need.
“The best way out is always through.” Your presence here today, your support, your prayers and for some of you, your service, provides families THE way through every day at Thrive Women’s Clinic. It is humbling to know the God of the universe uses all of us to achieve his plans and we thank you for empowering our clients to choose life and build healthy families.