After feeling God’s answer to her plight 10 years ago, a woman who was planning to have an abortion changed her mind and welcomed a “sweet angel” daughter who changed her life. She recently took to social media to share the story of this touching emotion.
The story is about Desiree Burgess Alford of Black Diamond, Wash. She says her 10-year-old daughter has undoubtedly “shattered” her life, but has changed everything for the better.
Sometimes,” Alford wrote, “our pain gets the best of us. …… Who knew that this sweet angel was exactly what I needed? She became the inspiration behind my career, and God used her life to change mine.”
Valentine’s Day 2011 would have been the day Alford’s unborn baby’s heart stopped beating because she scheduled herself for an abortion on that day. She wrote, “I am a struggling single woman …… I was so scared that I decided to terminate the pregnancy. But, “the night before my appointment, God worked a miracle in my life. I think about it almost every day, and I missed almost everything.”
Alford became pregnant unexpectedly when she was 28 years old. At the time, she had just completed nine months of sobriety after conquering her alcohol addiction. But, still without a job, she was devastated, and getting pregnant at this time made her feel even more frustrated.
According to Live Action News, Alford was raised in a conservative, religious family that was anti-abortion. So at six weeks into her pregnancy, she painfully felt internally conflicted. Still, she scheduled an abortion for a week and a half later, wanting to let it go.
She told the pro-life organization, “I was in a terrible place financially. I knew I would be raising my child (alone), and that put a lot of pressure on me.”
However, while her parents are committed to supporting their daughter in any choice she makes, they still believe Alford needs more guidance. Says Alford, “They worked behind the scenes to get people to pray for me and to arrange for people to help me.”
The day before the scheduled abortion, her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor suggested she take a break and think before making a decision. So Alford went to her parents’ house on the lake. Driving under a clear blue sky, Alford glanced toward the sky. She recalls, “I told God, if I should keep this child, please give me a sign as clear as the sky.”
Little did she know that two people were already waiting to meet her at the lake house. Alford’s parents had invited a middle-aged couple to tell Alford about their own painful abortion experience shortly after their marriage. Alford listened intently.
“They handed me an 8-week fetal model, and for the first time they spoke of me as ‘Mom.'” Alford said. They even offered to adopt her unborn child.
And when she went to church that night, the signs kept coming: The sermon was about “the miracle of life. At the same time, she received a voicemail from Planned Parenthood saying her abortion appointment had been postponed for two days.
Alford and her daughter. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Alford)
At that point, Alford changed her mind. “The arrival of my daughter, Hartley, was one of the most peaceful moments of my life,” she said. She found peace during her pregnancy, and she was even determined to cope with her worries about raising a child alone and her finances.
When her daughter Hartley was born, Alford could barely imagine what life would be like. “I thought it would ruin my life, and it was just the opposite,” she says.
Hartley’s arrival even opened up a whole new business opportunity for Alford. After handcrafting headbands for her children, interest in headbands grew. So Alford started a business, “Harts and Pearls,” and through this work she met her now-husband Ron.
The business eventually became profitable and Aylford gained a family of her own.
Alford now has a family of her own. (Photo credit: courtesy of Alford)
“It feels like God’s answer to my dream of staying home and taking care of my kids, like He’s saying to me, ‘I’m taking care of you,'” she told a reporter for Live News.
Ten years later, Alford is a happy working mother. Third-grader Hartley is a “stubborn kid. She started a dog walking business called “Hart and Tails” during the 2020 lockout. She even makes personalized dog and cat bandanas.
Since having 10 years of precious memories with her daughter, Alford hopes their story will inspire others to ask for advice and listen to the answers.
She writes, “This sweet angel will be the only child I ever give birth to …… I truly believe that my life was not blessed (by God) because of myself, but so that I can now help those who desperately need help like I once did.”
I want you to know, “No matter what your situation is, God can and will use it for good.”
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