A Sudden Turn of Events
Donna found herself alone and unexpectedly pregnant with two young children, facing challenge after challenge and never gave up fighting for her family.
When Donna first reached out to Life, she was a young mother in crisis, caught in a system that seemed to offer no way out. Just a year before, her life had been stable. Things were going well. But a sudden turn – an unexpected pregnancy and a partner who walked away when she refused to terminate – set off a chain of events that nearly broke her.
A Pregnancy Unlike Any Other and a System that Failed Her
This pregnancy wasn’t like her others. Donna experienced severe sickness – later diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum. She felt faint, dizzy, and drained, unable to keep food down. Debilitated, she was forced to leave work, losing her income entirely.
Soon, the rent fell behind, and while Universal Credit began paying the arrears directly to her landlord, this left Donna without enough to meet her family’s most basic needs. £100 a month from social services was meant to cover food, clothes, and utilities for her and her children. It simply wasn’t enough. Donna’s elderly grandmother helped where she could, but even with her support, Donna often went without food to make sure her children didn’t.
Feeling like she was drowning, Donna turned to her local housing department to push for a solution. Her plea was simple: help me move into social housing so we can survive. But the answers she received were devastating. Unless her landlord evicted her, they couldn’t help. If she made herself ‘intentionally homeless’, her children would be taken into care. And then, chillingly, one suggestion: she could have an abortion, and her “problem would be solved”.
Donna walked away shattered.
Reaching Breaking Point
At 19 weeks pregnant, with nowhere else to turn, she booked a consultation for a surgical abortion. She was spiralling, not because she didn’t want her baby, but because she felt completely alone and unsupported.
That’s when Donna found Life.
We listened. We heard the desperation, the injustice, and the heartbreak. And we acted.
We helped Donna to talk through her thoughts and feelings in a safe, non-judgemental space. With her permission, we became her advocates and helped her communicate with her housing officer and her social worker, raising serious concerns – how a vulnerable young woman had been pushed toward a life-altering decision not by choice, but by a lack of support from those entrusted to help her.
Turning the Tide to a Brighter Future
Donna’s case was on the verge of being closed. But with the intervention of a persistent social worker and our team Donna’s case remained open and was made a priority.
Two weeks later, progress came. A professionals meeting was called. And now?
Donna was offered a home for her and her children. Her benefits have been reinstated. We are still walking beside her, but the path ahead finally looks clearer.
In her own words:
“I cannot thank all of you at Life for what you have done and are continuing to do for me. If I had not found you, I dread to think what would have happened to me and my kids. This little one would not have been in my arms today.”
To protect our client’s privacy we have used a stock image; her name and any identifying features have been changed.
This Is Why We Do What We Do
Because behind every statistic is a story like Donna’s – a mother fighting for her family, who just needed someone to walk beside her.
If you or someone you know is in a similar situation, know this: you are not alone. Life is here. And we will listen.
If you or someone you know needs to talk about an unexpected pregnancy, get in touch with our free, professional and completely non-judgmental helpline. We’re here to listen, so you have the space to clarify your own thoughts and feelings.
Freephone: 0808 802 5433
Text: 07860077339
Email: help@lifecharity.org.uk
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