Rejected to Be Truly Loved
“There is a girl who wants to abandon her newborn baby. Could you talk to her?” – “Of course”.
It happens every so often. Medical staff in the delivery department of Zhitomir maternity hospital invites our counselors to talk to mothers who choose to leave their babies in hospital for various reasons.
This time it was a young sweet girl, Kate, who was not ready for a baby. Coming from a downtrodden village, she entered technical college and ‘learned’ to transition to an adult life. She didn’t know she was pregnant until it was too late to have an abortion. The remaining weeks of pregnancy she spent persuading herself to leave this baby right after delivery. It seemed to be the best decision at her stage of life. Even though her little girl was born prematurely, Kate asked to sign papers for rejection…. But God had a different plan in store for her and her baby.
As we talked, her heart started to soften. All of a sudden she began to realize that a mother’s love was more important than fancy clothes, luxurious food, and expensive toys. God entrusted her with a precious life to love and take care of …. Sweet Kate accepted her daughter and named her Bogdana – given by God. Day by day she was falling in love with her daughter more and more.
It sounds like a happy ending … but the story doesn’t end there. A few weeks later, Bogdana was diagnosed with water on the brain. It is a common practice for local doctors to suggest mothers leave their children in the hospital if they are given a diagnosis that leads to severe disabilities. Should Kate choose to follow the doctor’s advice this time?
Well, no! She took Bogdana home regardless of the challenging circumstances and has been taking care of her as best as she can. Although after the surgery they returned to a shabby old house which looked more like a shack in a downtrodden village, without gas or running water, Kate didn’t lose hope. Even though there was no drugstore in their village, the ambulance’s arrival depended on the weather, and resources were limited, she trusted there was a way out. Even though her husband worked far away from them, and she had to take care of her special needs girl all alone, Kate knew each day had enough trouble of its own.
Young and fragile Kate and her husband love their daughter and seek the best for her now. They seek to earn enough money to move to a better place closer to medical services available for Bogdana. Let’s pray for them to find help in the Lord and to witness His mighty love for them.