A Different Type of Second Chance

If you were to ask me what a Friday night looks like for a 29 year old this is what I would say. “It depends.”

It depends if you’re single, married without children, married with children or if you’re a single parent.

If you’re single, you might already have plans to meet up with a friend or a group of friends. If you’re married without children, sometimes you might have a date-in or a date-out with your significant other. If you’re married with children, you probably have some plans for the family - a movie or a dinner together. If you’re a single parent, you might be working and if you’re not working then you most likely have plans with your child(ren).

As for me, what does my Friday night look like? As someone who works all week and sometimes 12 hour days, I usually just want to have a quiet night at home in front of the television with a drink in my hand and snuggled under a blanket with my dog.

And that’s how it all started!

I was sitting at home with a drink in my hand snuggled under a blanket with my dog in front of the television. I was flipping through the channels when I stumbled upon a television show called, “Second Chances.” I am a true believer of second chances and thought that I could relate to the show so I stopped to watch it for a few minutes. I told myself, “watch it until the next commercial break and judge it after.” So here I am, watching “Second Chances” and let me tell you about it.

Let’s start at the beginning. The show is a bunch of stories about second chances. This is not just the second chance you give your boyfriend or girlfriend after they have messed up in the relationship - it is more than that. The show also adds second chances in life like getting a new organ or living through a traumatic accident. It also talks about the unusual second chances such as losing a child but having the opportunity to still become a parent for a foster child, adoption and sometimes the worst kind, but most fulfilling one - godparent of a child who lost both their parents.

This episode was about a woman who got pregnant and after 12 weeks of being pregnant had to make the hardest decision - choose her life or the child’s life. At 8 weeks, Emily along with her husband were both excited to share with their friends and family that they were going to be a family of three. They were overjoyed with starting a family after being married for years. The couple made announcements to their family first and then officially announcing the rest of the world via social media. They posted a picture of the ultrasound along with a onesie. Everyone who knew them knew that they were overwhelmed with joy.

Weeks have passed and their friends and family continue to see pictures of Emily with comments of “morning sickness” or “cravings” which are all very normal for a pregnant woman. On Emily’s 12 weeks of pregnancy, she posted a picture of her with the date. It was a little unusual in comparison to her other social media posts. That was the day that she wished never happened to her or anyone else. It was June 19, 2019 when she had to make the hardest decision of her life.

It all started with what seemed like a regular check-up, but after an ultrasound, her doctor had some bad news to share with Emily. Emily stared at the screen with awe as she stared at this beautiful creation that is growing inside of her, but to her surprise, the doctor shut off the screen. Emily was not happy and began to grow furious of the situation. The doctor took the ultrasound equipment off her mid-section and started to wipe off the gel. He wanted to prepare her for the worst and to start off, he cleaned her.

As the doctor explains to her to please calm down, which in my opinion, he should’ve known wouldn’t work, he continues to clean her belly. As soon as he was done, he asked Emily to sit up and tell her that he has bad news for her. In so much anger and confusion, Emily was so red from the neck up. The anticipation was killing her until she finally said, “What? Is everything alright? Why would you suddenly shut off the screen like that without explanation?” The doctor leaned in and said, “Emily, I know that you are excited, I know that you and your husband have waited for this blessing for a very long time but we have a problem. You see, I stopped the ultrasound because I knew I couldn’t bear to tell you bad news while you stare at something you wanted more than anything. You are having an ectopic pregnancy, which also means that your baby is alive and well, but we have a difficult situation. In an ectopic pregnancy, you have the baby growing inside of you, but the egg has attached itself to a wall in your fallopian tube. As the baby continues to grow, you will be faced with many medical issues such as damage to your internal organs as well as vaginal bleeding through your pregnancy.”

This news brought tears to Emily’s eyes as she tried to listen to her doctor.

“Emily, I know you love this child even though it has been such a short time knowing, you have loved it from the very beginning. When you are faced in such a pregnancy, you have to make a decision to either choose your life or the baby’s life. I’m sorry to have to ask you to do such a thing but in order to save you, you have to decide whether you are going to continue with the pregnancy or terminate it.”

Emily sat up straight, tears continuing to roll down her rosy cheeks as she stared at a corner on the floor. She never thought she would ever make such a hard decision -  to choose her life or another. She contemplated if she had to choose her child’s life, he or she would be left to grow up without a mother if worst comes to worst. If she chooses her life, she would live with that decision forever and it would lessen the chances of her getting pregnant again. It was indeed a tough decision to make, but it was also a decision that she had to make.

Her doctor stepped out of the room to give her time to think about her decision as well as to get a hold of her husband. Her husband was working that day and couldn’t make it to the check-up.

After twenty minutes, he made it to her and they sat in the room crying about the situation. Emily had chosen to save her life and took the chance that everything would happen when it is time again.

That day will forever stay with Emily and her husband. The day that they chose their lives in order to have what they have today.

Today marks six months after the worst day of their lives, but today was a great day. Today, Emily posted on social media a picture of an ultrasound and a rainbow. The caption she chose is this, “We are pleased to tell the world that we are expecting our rainbow baby.” Accompanying that caption was a heart emoji.

This episode touched a special place in my heart and I felt every part of it. Considering I thought that “second chances” were just about failed relationships, this was a great first episode from a different perspective of “second chances.” A two thumbs up review and highly recommended.