Life Defenders

                                                             Written by Gabriela Statt, translator at Life Defenders’ Spanish division.  In December of 2015, right after I graduated  high school, I decided to take a year off. Though I  had done well in my admission exam and could've started college  right away, I still felt a bit immature  to face the responsibilities of adulthood , and was not very clear  about  what my calling was .  So I  took  my last year of freedom to have some time  for  s elf-discovery .  Little did I know  about the extraordinary  journey that would begin that year. No w, two years later,  I’m not the typical 20-year-old.  While  most of my peers spend their free time going out, I spend mine  speaking up...

American singer/songwriter, Rachel Platten, announced this Summer that she’s expecting her first child. Rachel has spoken candidly and transparently about her pregnancy,  saying that while her and her husband are thrilled,  it has also been difficult.  “I’m just HUMAN. Human emotions are complex. We feel more than one thing at once you know? We can old both love and wonder and aw and joy, but also frustration, sickness , fear , and darker stuff too - and  it’s  normal !” . . . . “With all of the muster and wonder around this, one thing has been abundantly clear to me : this little , unbelievable soul that I haven’t met yet is going to be my biggest teacher in the world and I cannot wait to learn”  - Platten   Her newest song “You Belong” (along with its video) , was released this month and is profoundly moving. The lyrics are so impeccably fitting to the video which doesn’t shy away from including the sonogram and heartbeat of her ba...

By The O’Hara’s It has been one month exactly since we were given Freya’s diagnosis and coping mechanisms have been a matter of trial and error. Today I have written her a letter which I am going to share in hopes of raising awareness for this heartbreaking condition. Dear Freya, It was on the 20th September 2018 that your daddy and I went for our big scan. We were so exited to see you, after all, day and night, you were all we ever talked about. First we got to see your heart. It was beating so strong we were undoubtedly proud of how far you had come along. To us, you looked perfect. With the aid of an infrared scan, we even got to see the blood flow in and around your body and then back out through the umbilical cord again. And I thought to myself, how could something, something this common, be this amazing? It was then that the nice lady who conducted the scan, went quiet. Very quiet. Too quiet. The friendly smile on her face withered into a faint, frail frown....

Isaiah 55:8-13 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways ,” declared the Lord. “As the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  My name is Den Alan. My wife and I married 10 years ago and started trying to add to our fb,only almost immediately afterwards. Just when it seemed like getting pregnant naturally wasn’t in the cards for us, we were thrilled to find our we were pregnant after 5 long years of trying to conceive.  To our dismay, at  21 & 1/2 weeks along, we lost their baby girl who we named Mary Francis.  We decided to start the adoption process and shortly after initiating , we became pregnant  again. Unfortunately , we lost that baby as well at 11 weeks. We named the baby William. We picked up where we left off with the adoption process, approaching Catholic charities. There’s a network of them in the States and the offices work t...

                     Written by Dona Marie I remember being a happy child. I had simple joys then. Some toys, some sweets, my playmates, a VHS tape of The Sound of Music, my beloved dog and  my  doting parents made me feel the luckiest kid on earth. But an experience suddenly burst my happy bubble when I was about nine years old. It was the 16 th  of January, a big feast in our  small town is being celebrated. It was  Sto . Nino’s fiesta  (Feast of the Child Jesus). I remember being glad because there were no classes  that day. T herefore I was allowed to watch  The Sound of Music  even if it wasn’t Friday.  I also remember seeing my mother with a somber expression. She went upstairs to the master’s bedroom but before she did, instructed me to follow her after a couple of minutes. I did as I was told. I entered the room having no idea that my life was about to change. My mo...