Kryssy’s Story

I was late on my period a few days and had been a little nervous since one time my boyfriend and I were engaging in sexual activity and the condom broke. My boyfriend is 19 and I trusted him and felt comfortable with him. I had hoped to be on birth control eventually but wasn’t sure how to get it without my mom buying it and she kept talking me out of it because she honestly did not believe I was having sex. Well two tests proved positive and I called my best friend who was in Colorado at the time and flipped out. “Oh my god what am I going to ******* do…”etc. After calming down I knew I’d need to mention it to my other good friend and we called a lot of places but didn’t get anywhere because everything was closed on a late Friday night. Later on I went to my boyfriend’s house or the house where he’s actually renting a room. I ended up telling him after he asked me if I’d gotten my period yet and he was worried. We held each other and talked about our options; my only option was abortion for me. Although I care about my boyfriend I knew he wasn’t the man I wanted to have a family with and we’d had a few fights where he lost his temper and grabbed me, pushed me, took my keys so I couldn’t leave … I didn’t want to raise a kid with a guy like that, and my mom had been through breast cancer this past year, and my brother broke up with a girlfriend of three years that I grew very close to. Not long after they broke up he was diagnosed with O.C.D. (obsessive compulsive disorder). So I took it upon myself to just fix my own problem-I ended up talking to a cousin at a Christmas family function and she told me she’d help me get information. My other two close friends wanted me to tell my mom but I didn’t want her looking at me different or thinking I’d screwed up. She ended up finding out when a older close friend of mine with her own kid talked to a good friend of my mom’s and neighbor that she was worried about me and the neighbor called my mom and informed her. I came home that night and she got right to the point, “are you pregnant?” I tried to cover it up at first but gave in she told me to think of my options and she and my father would support me no matter what. She was very upset and thought she’d failed me as a mother since I couldn’t come talk to her and because she had missed the signs when I tried to bring up birth control. She scheduled an appointment and although supportive everyone that knew was telling me I’d never feel the same and I’d have emotional problems. The only time I ever cried was when I first found out, after that I totally was calm and collected. I knew what I wanted and had to do.
So my parents drove me to a wonderful place in Downers Grove, IL called Access Health Care. When we arrived I was surprised to see it’s true people do protest abortions even in the freezing cold at 7 in the morning. A woman was standing outside on a sidewalk with a baby carriage and holding a baby. I had to chuckle thinking of how bizarre this person’s actions seemed. I went inside, filled out forms, got an ultra sound and they put a camera with a condom on it inside me to get a better look. It felt like a small tampon, not painful at all. They found out I was 5 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Then I took a urine test, talked to a counselor and got information for after surgery care. I got to keep my socks, bra, and t-shirt on. Let me tell you too that I hate needles but I was so proud when i could handle the blood test, and the i.v. containing anesthesia. I fell asleep fast; one minute I was meeting all the staff members in the room with my legs in stirrups and the next I woke up in a chair like a La-Z-Boy in a room with other girls eating crackers and drinking water. I came around fast and was very thankful to the staff for their kindness and support. I left soon and went home. I had a very small amount of blood in a maxi pad, no cramps, and didn’t throw up at all partly because they gave me medicine ahead of time so I wouldn’t got home called my friends to tell them I was ok, and I was just sleepy for the rest of the day and I ate so much when I got home. I was lucky to get a second chance and a supportive family; now all I have to do is tie up loose ends with my boyfriend and I’m hoping this will give me the strength not to fear being alone.