Jackie's Story
“When I was 17, I moved out to Utah for about six years. About a year ago, I found myself as an IV drug user, with meth as my drug of choice. Quickly I was arrested, facing a felony – homeless, jobless. About 3 or 4 months into my using, I found out I was pregnant.
“I took a pregnancy test at some drug house and I let my boyfriend at the time know it was positive. We decided we were both going to get clean. It was really easy for me because I knew I wanted this baby.
“We decided to come back home to Nebraska where I had the support of my family.
“I knew I could go to the Pregnancy Center for resources, and they gave me so much more than that. I just wanted to know where to get free diapers and all that stuff. My counselor wanted to get to know my story and my situation, from there she figured out what I needed.
“My boyfriend went back to drinking and using. The Pregnancy Center and my counselor helped me realize that my daughter needs to have a mommy and daddy who are healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically. So they directed me on how to get out of that relationship and stay safe.
“I am so grateful to them – my pregnancy and having my daughter is so much easier thanks to them.
“As soon as I had her, I forgot all the pain. We had some trouble with nursing, so I had to pump and syringe feed my daughter. One year earlier I had used this same thing to hurt myself and now I was using it to give life to my daughter. That was incredible and healing.”
“I went to the Pregnancy Center for resources, but THEY GAVE ME SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.”
When Jackie was 11 years old, she filled a Pregnancy Center Baby Bottle with money and donated it along with a letter she wrote to a future mother encouraging her to choose life. At 22, Jackie has a child of her own and her letter reads as though she wrote it for her future self.
