Our Story"I was blessed to accompany a college student as she made the courageous decision to choose life and her education." ~Sabrina
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At 19, during my freshman year of college, I found myself pregnant. Insurmountable feelings of fear of the future consumed me. This wasn't part of my plan. I was lucky, I was loved, supported and given the resources to succeed. This should ALWAYS be the case for every student in this situation. This is why I created the Avi Project.
Nicole Cavey- Founder & CEO |
The Avi StoryThis is one woman's story who eagerly chose to walk alongside a college student during an unexpected pregnancy.
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"I was blessed to accompany a college student as she made the courageous decision to choose life. I got to be with her from the time she took her pregnancy test, all the way through her delivery and beyond. I had eagerly started a study with one of my new friends. Little did I know that this study would completely change my life in ways that I could have never anticipated.
One of the girls on campus who I interacted with regularly, started to show signs of pregnancy. Since I myself was pregnant at the time, I recognized some of the symptoms I was also experiencing. Upon this recognition, I asked one of the girl's roommates if there was any possibility this girl could be pregnant. It wasn't long after this conversation that she was taking a pregnancy test in my apartment and as you can guess, it was positive. There were a lot of tears, confusion, and fear, but we talked through it. I told her about the OBGYN office where I was currently receiving care. I showed her pictures of the doctors and their families, assuring her that if my sister or best friend was in her situation, this is the place I would take them.
After a few hours of comforting her, she agreed to come to the OBGYN office with me. In her ultrasound, she found out that she was well into her third trimester of pregnancy. To her shock, she called me in to try to make sense of what the doctor had just told her. I held her hand, I let her cry, and I encouraged her while they finished the ultrasound. The doctor empowered her and we came up with a game plan.
She was far enough along that if circumstances were right, she could be induced as early as Wednesday that same week. Those two days felt like the longest days of our lives as we anxiously waited for the appointment. Luckily, the circumstances worked, and we were told to head to the hospital for her induction.
Over the next 48 hours we met with so many different people, but primarily social workers to get the paperwork started to put the baby up for adoption and look at families to give the baby to which was her desire. Our OBGYN clinic recommended one family whose adoption fell through a few days prior, and they were more than ready to welcome a baby into their home.
My primary job was to be there with her. I prepped anyone who came into the room on the situation to use the appropriate language that she felt comfortable with. I was the only non-clinical person part of her birth story because she didn't want to share with any friends or family. Luckily everything went very smoothly and a sweet baby was born quickly on Thursday morning. We were able to go home the following day.
It was a whirlwind of two weeks walking with her through every step, but I'm so grateful to have had the honor and privilege to walk with her during that time, and to be her person in one of the most difficult and vulnerable times in her life. She is such a witness to bravery and courage. We still keep in touch and get coffee every once in a while.
Whatever circumstance you may find yourself or a loved one in, there is always hope and you can always keep dreaming. We are here to hold your hand and walk with you as you make this courageous choice. You are worthy of big dreams and goals and we would love to walk alongside you in forming and accomplishing them!"
~Sabrina
