I Can’t Imagine My Life Without Him
Guest blog post by Autumn Williams
My mind was set on abortion. Finding out I was pregnant a week before leaving for college was devastating. I was mad at my boyfriend, my parents, myself, this baby. Most of all, I was angry with God, for taking away my hard work, my freedom, college, and my reputation. I had a 5 year plan and I wasn’t going to let it get away from me that quickly.
At just 17, I found my world crashing down in front of my eyes. The life I once hoped for was non-existent. The fear of losing so much was the only thing driving me towards taking the easy way out. Telling myself over and over that I was in control of my life, not God, me.
I was sure I’d only be a couple of weeks along; it would be easy to go through with the procedure if that was the case. As I lay on the ultrasound table I was sure not to look as the technician was scanning, I just wanted it to be over, and the only thing in my mind was my 5-year plan. The nurse asked me if I wanted to know the gender. Before I could answer, or question what she was talking about she slowly turned the screen and she said, “It’s a boy”. My eyes fixated on the baby’s profile, a boy, my son. I was six and a half months pregnant, 17 years old, and thrown into the will of God and his 5-year plan.
To this day, I thank him every day for finding out when I did, it saved my son’s life. I couldn’t imagine a life without him. I want to represent hope in a teen’s crashing world. After defying the odds and graduating college, I decided to start a pregnancy center that would service only teen parents. Two percent of teen mothers will graduate college before the age of thirty. I was still a statistic, but I was two percent.
We live in a society where teen pregnancy is recognized but not acted upon. Two Percent Project will be a nonprofit resource center, based out of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, geared towards the success of teen parents. We will strive to empower young girls and boys to live lives of self-respect and self- sufficiency. Two Percent Project will be a unique center where we recognize all responsible participants of a teen pregnancy. A majority of teen pregnancy support programs solely assist mothers, with little or no support programs for teen fathers or any other individuals who are affected by teen pregnancy (e.g. Family members, grand-parents, and teachers). We at Two Percent Project recognize the importance of positive paternal involvement despite a cultural narrative writing fathers out of the picture.
God’s 5-year plan consisted of love; endless love that I am proud to say isn’t limited to five years. I was still able to finish college, get the job of my dreams, and meet new lifelong friends, all with my son, side by side, hand in hand, and heart by heart, and we have forever to go.
