When my husband of fifteen years and I separated, I moved with our two children into a small loft apartment above a barn — a space meant for a weekend ranch hand, not a family. For nearly a year, that little loft became both our shelter and my reminder of how uncertain life had become.

About six months after the separation, I met someone new. The relationship was a flicker of attention in a time when I was lonely and hurting, like a summer romance. Four months into it, I found out I was pregnant. Then the father disappeared.

I was devastated. I could barely take care of myself and my two children. I felt ashamed, afraid, and certain that I had ruined everything. The shame was so heavy that I convinced myself the only way to fix things was to end the pregnancy.

I ordered abortion pills online, drove to another state, and sat in my car for two days — holding the pills, crying, trying to convince myself it was the best choice. The baby’s father kept messaging me, begging me not to do it. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t really a baby yet, just a clump of cells. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t true.

In the middle of all that darkness, I called a church I had visited once before. Through that call, I was connected to a woman named Tiffany from Daybreak. When I told her I was drowning — in sin, in shame, in fear — she didn’t judge me. She prayed with me. She met me for lunch. She helped me make an appointment at Daybreak, where the team welcomed me with love and faith instead of condemnation.

At that first appointment, they asked about my faith. Then they gave me a pregnancy test and performed an ultrasound. The moment I saw the tiny body on the screen and heard that heartbeat — steady and strong — I broke down crying. I knew right then: I couldn’t go through with the abortion.

My pregnancy wasn’t easy. I faced health scares and ongoing conflict with my soon-to-be ex-husband, but I also began to rebuild my life. I found a home to rent, secured a job working with children, and through Daybreak’s "Baby Bucks" program, I received the things I needed to prepare for my baby — things I couldn’t have afforded as a single mom of three.

On January 22, 2025, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl — Amelia Jean. The moment I held her, every ounce of shame I had carried disappeared. I realized I wasn’t being punished for my past; I was being given a second chance. God had taken my brokenness and turned it into blessing.

I wanted desperately to breastfeed, to give her everything I could. But two months after her birth, I developed severe mastitis that led to five surgeries on my right breast. Doctors found four deep abscesses — and while operating, they discovered a small clump of breast cancer cells.

Miraculously, they were able to remove all of the cancer before it spread. I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation. What began as one of the most painful seasons of my life became one of the most life-saving.

If I had gone through with that abortion, they never would have found the cancer in time. My daughter saved my life — in every way a person can be saved!

I named her Amelia Jean, which means “industrious and gracious.” She is living proof that even when we believe we’ve fallen too far, Grace can still find us.

JoAnne & Amelia Jean

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DINNER ATTIRE: Sunday Best / Business

Lourdes Miranda

Client Advocate

"I was born and raised in my beautiful country, Puerto Rico. In 1986, I came to New York for two weeks to help my sister with her newborn baby, and thereafter decided to stay in New York. While there, I married and had two daughters, Sarah and Arianna, and worked in the mental health field for 30 years. My job consisted of monitoring patients’ mental health status, compliance with treatment and advocating for their needs and benefits. Most of my caseload was Spanish-speaking people. Working with them was a very rewarding experience for me."