I first got pregnant by a guy I hardly knew when I was 13. We had been hanging out together for a few days, and we thought it might be fun. It wasn't, but I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant until it was too late. When the baby came, we lived with my mom until she got kinda crazy, and we moved in with my crackhead brother and I quit school. By 16 I was pregnant again, and my life seemed pretty much the pits.

It was then that I met Ms. Booty, a social worker at the Baylor Teen Clinic who helped me through my pregnancy and told me about family planning. She also encouraged me to fix my hair and get a new outfit or two. We also talked about the importance of getting an education, and she told me again and again that I could do it. One day I decided she was right.

Last February I finished my GED, and I'm getting good grades in a program to become a certified medical assistant. I live with my two daughters in housing for unwed mothers, but I hope we can soon get our own subsidized apartment. I know none of this would have been possible without Ms. Booty and the Teen Clinic, and I also know it's time for me to grow up. After all, I'm almost 19, and soon I'll be an adult.

This true story is based on events in the life of a young client
of the Baylor Teen Clinic which is funded in part by grants from
St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities

Copyright © 1999 St. Lukes Episcopal Health Charities. All Rights Reserved.