STORY 39/50: When Jessie found herself in an abusive relationship and pregnant at age 15, she felt trapped and heartbroken, even after breaking up with her boyfriend. Her mom mentioned visiting New Life to learn about her options.
“I didn’t have a job, I was still a sophomore in high school, and my baby didn’t have a dad, so I thought I’ll go, and I’ll listen [to New Life],” said Jessie.
The idea of adoption wasn’t new to Jessie. She, her brother, and her sister were all adopted; her parents worked with New Life Adoptions for her siblings’ adoptions. Based on Jessie’s own experience as an adopted child, she knew she wanted an open adoption so she could be involved in her daughter’s life.
“I knew I wanted her to have everything; a stable home with stable parents. I realized I couldn’t do it by myself. I wanted her to know how loved she was and that she wasn’t a burden. I didn’t want her to go through the regret phase,” said Jessie.
She flipped through a couple of introductory books of families who were waiting to adopt a baby. When she saw a snapshot of Kevin and Julie, she knew this was the family.
“Right away there was a really strong connection. They were perfect. I knew I was handing my daughter to someone who was going to love her just as much as I loved her, so that was really powerful for me.”
