My Girl

On Fridays and Saturdays, if I'm lucky I get to work in EMC's South Bronx Pregnancy Center with my sweet, kind, funny friend Eliana. I love working with her. She has such a heart for saving women and children from the horrible pains of abortion.

Ellie is silly, she's always joking around and making me smile! She's also feisty, always ready to give you a piece of her mind if she doesn't agree. You don't cross Eliana!

When there is a rare brake from the constant stream of clients, we take a seat. I pull out the chocolate (my favorite) to share and she shares stories about her adorable daughter Lia; with the the magnificent big brown eyes. Of course Eliana is such a proud mommy that she often tells clients about the joys of motherhood and the inability to imagine her life without Baby Lia. You could say that hearing about the little, cutie is no rarity!

We also hang out, outside of work. She comes over for dinner and we love going for coffee or walking through Central Park. We talk a lot about God, our Catholic faith, Baby Lia, pro-life work, clothes, and of course there is the girl talk! You could say she is my Sister in Christ. I was even there at the hospital the day after Lia was born! Ellie calls me comadre (Spanish for co-mother) and considers me an unofficial godmother to her daughter. It's hard to think that if I had never come to NYC, that I would not have this beautiful friend in my life. It's even harder to think that if I had not come from California to do this work at EMC, that Eliana would not have her beautiful daughter Lia.

You see, our friendship started the day I turned the corner to Dr. Emily's Abortion Clinic and saw Eliana deep in conversation with Laura a sidewalk counselor and former EMC Intern. After speaking for just a few minuets, I heard Eliana say that she was going to go get her mom and tell her. Than Elie rushed away! But Tell her mom? Tell her what? About the risks! That's what she and Laura had been speaking of!

Laura had just finished telling me about the particulars when Eliana returned. She announced that Mom only spoke Spanish, but not to worry, she would translate. Laura encouraged them to go to our South Bronx Pregnancy Center and began to list the various risks and complications to abortion. There was the possible infection caused by fetal tissue left inside the woman's uterus (this was the most common complication and it could lead to death), there was the risk of infertility and an increased risk ectopic pregnancy, there was the possibility of a perforated uterus and there was... just then we were surrounded by clinic escorts (DEATHscorts as we call them)! Their purpose is to stop women from ever speaking with the sidewalk counselors. They began to say the usual things, "They are protesters, you don't have to listen to them! They have no medical information! Just come in the clinic!" They weren't talking TO her, they were talking AT her. I looked in Eliana's eyes and I could see the fear and confusion. She was in shock! She didn't know what to do and what to make of all of this! Then they turned to her mother and started in on her! "I know these people SEEM like they have your daughters best interest at heart, BUT THEY DON'T! I know the doctors here. They are good doctors! They have your daughter's best interest at heart!" As false as his statements were, I wasn't worried... Mom didn't speak a word of English!

I still remember the look in Ellie's eyes that day, over a year ago. Something in me, I didn't know what or why, just told me to hug her. "Do you need a hug? Come here..." I said, motioning her to my shoulder. I beleive that it was that hug that ultimately gave her the courage to walk away from that clinic that day. Even though we were surrounded by escorts and they were all talking at once, there was something powerful about that hug. I took the back of her head in my hand and my other hand was on her back as if I was a mother huging my own child. And as her head met my shoulder it all made sense. With all the noise of the escorts swirling around us, I had her ear. "It's gonna be ok." I whispered. "Just go to the center, it's down the street. We will help you. It's gonna be ok. Go!" and she walked away... just like that.