Avery’s Story
Avery was excited to be pregnant. Then came pain that would not let up.
“It was constant and relentless. It kept getting worse,” she recalled. “I had never experienced anything like it.”
For weeks, Avery struggled through pain so severe that she could no longer work or manage everyday responsibilities. She wanted her baby, but became afraid she could not make it through the pregnancy.
A doctor identified endometriosis—a disease in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. It can cause inflammation, scarring, and severe, disabling pain.
“I wanted this pregnancy. I spent weeks trying to keep going,” Avery shared. “Eventually, I realized I could not continue.”
She made the painful decision to end the pregnancy. She and her husband traveled for care. Afterward, her doctor found extensive endometriosis lesions during surgery, helping her understand the severity of her condition.
“I see the signs posted around town that say, ‘We Choose Life.’ Well, so do I. But as much as I wanted my first pregnancy, I also love being a mother to my blessing daughter, my second chance baby. So, I choose my life so that I can choose my daughter.”
Avery lived outside Idaho at the time. Now, as she considers growing her family here, she worries about facing another complicated pregnancy and being unable to access the care she needs. If her health were to worsen, she fears she might not have a choice and her life would not be chosen in Idaho.
“I see the signs posted around town that say, ‘We Choose Life.’ Well, so do I. But as much as I wanted my first pregnancy, I also love being a mother to my blessing daughter, my second chance baby. So, I choose my life so that I can choose my daughter.”
She shares her experience because she wants people to understand what they cannot see: the weeks of suffering, the hope of continuing a wanted pregnancy, and the grief of realizing she could not because her body would not allow her to.
“When I was forced to end my pregnancy because of my health, it tore me apart. The grief and pain were overwhelming. I drowned in my sorrow and regret for so long that it almost broke me. Now, having been blessed with my second-chance daughter, I no longer regret choosing my health and my life so that I could have a future with her and be her mother.”
“I hope people can approach stories like mine with understanding,” she said. “You don’t know what someone has gone through to reach that decision.”
