Choosing Between Abortion or Death
When starting her family, Sabina Patterson initially faced problems with infertility, but through IVF, she was able to become a mother to twins. In her late 40s, she longed to have another child. Doctors said her tubes were damaged, and needed surgery to have them removed. But the night before the operation, her husband Jermain said a few words that would change her story.
“My husband had a revelation. We prayed at 11:15 p.m. So, 12 midnight he jumped up from the bed and I said ‘What’s happening?’ And He said, ‘God said you're pregnant. He will give you a son named Judah Emmanuel.’ When I got to the hospital, I let the doctors know God said I was pregnant.”
At the hospital, Sabina’s pregnancy test results were positive, but doctors determined it was a ‘false pregnancy’. They saw a development on her fallopian tube urged her to proceed with surgery to remove it but Sabina remained confident in God’s promise, and refused the operation. “I was speaking to them, I said, you know, ‘I'm pregnant, and it's a baby.’ And they said, ‘No, it's not a baby.’ So, they wanted me to understand that it's not a baby, but I kept on refusing to say that word. Because people were doubting God. They made it seem that I'm crazy. God can use the foolish to confound the wise. So, I tell God to ‘prove yourself to them.’ So that was our prayer.
Sabina couldn’t find a medical professional who would agree to prenatal care. So, at eight weeks, she went to a Christian clinic, where she could have a sonogram.
“They found a fetus—and the fetus heart rate was 158, and I said, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ And Judah raised his hand in my stomach. So, the doctors also captured it. And they said, "The baby’s hands are up." They said congratulations you are pregnant.
It was determined that she had an ectopic pregnancy- -the fetus was developing on her left fallopian tube. And- - her uterus was filled with fibroid tumors. Her condition posed serious risk to her child’s life and her own- -but the clinic was not equipped to treat her. At another office she sought pro-life doctor, J. Bruchalski for care.
“The baby couldn't get through the tube, and it was behind the uterus and so we said, you need to go to the emergency room so we can take care of the condition you're in, which will happen to hurt and kill the baby. And she, at that moment, her eyes lit up and she was like, No, Johnny, the Lord has told me that I'm going to be healed and that everything will be okay."
She sought several other medical opinions, but the doctors’ response was always the same- -abort the pregnancy or she could die. At home, the couple held on to God’s promise.
“And I said, ‘No, I'm not going to kill the baby because it's a promise from God, and I'm not going to kill it."
Six months into her pregnancy, her water broke, and she was finally admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her placenta had invaded her liver and kidneys. Doctor’s said the baby could be delivered premature, but Sabina wasn’t expected to survive. Sabina checked into the hospital and was scheduled to deliver in one month.
“I knew that I couldn't allow the doubt to set in. But I knew that I had to keep, praying, keep-keep pushing, Because I know God can do anything.”
On November 17th, 2017 family and church members were prayerful as Sabina entered surgery. Two hours later, she gave birth to a baby boy, Judah. Sabina made a full recovery.
“We both, you know, we cried and it mostly was, as I say, our crying was thanking God. Just – we danced in the hospitals, we danced until we couldn’t dance anymore because, it was like, yes!”
When he was in the incubator, he raised his hand. And I said, "Thank you, Jesus, we made it."
“After three months in the NICU, Judah came home with his parents. “Twelve midnight, the day before Judah was supposed to be released. Judah himself disconnected the tubes. He pulled it out from his nose. He came home with no oxygen, no tubes. And since then he hasn't returned back to the hospital.”
“Every day I look at him, he's a miracle. A miracle child. And he's going to do great things.”
“At the heart, it's the grace and the mercy of Jesus Christ, the love of Sabina for Judah, and then thirdly, the expertise of the doctors at Hopkins, And for that, Thank you, Jesus.
Today, Sabina and Jermain say their family is complete and they’re thankful for a special promise that brought them Judah.
“Always have faith. If God said it, believe it and just have confidence in Him. No matter what the situation looks like.”
“It is a miracle. And I believe that he's here for a reason.”
