Danielle’s Story
Fox News: My Baby Saved My Life. Now I Help Save Others
Article appeared in Fox News | By: Danielle Nicholson | Photo Credit: Fox News
I chose life for my daughter 10 years ago. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here today.
At 20 years old, I had gone down a very dark path and thought that coping with years of abuse and assault meant immersing myself in drugs, alcohol and risky behavior. I had no goals or motivation to disrupt this lifestyle, which was numbing my pain.
My positive pregnancy test was the one thing that jolted me back to reality, as I stared in terror at the two pink lines in that little window.
I scrambled through my fog of emotion and fear to think about what this meant. I knew that I was carrying life — that it wasn’t just me anymore — but I had no money, and my family refused to support me. I didn’t know how I would make it, but I was determined to figure it out for my baby’s sake.
EWTN Pro-Life Weekly: 2022-09-15
Interview appeared on EWTN Pro-Life Weekly | By: Prudence Robertson
Danielle joins EWTN Pro-Life Weekly’s Prudence Robertson to share her story. Ten years ago, Danielle chose life for her daughter. Local Virginia Maternity Home, Paul Stefan Home, was there with her every step of the way offering resources and support.
Washington Examiner: ‘Shifted My Whole Life’: Two Virginia Mothers Reflect on How Maternity Homes Saved Them and Their Children
Article appeared in Washington Examiner | by: Rachel Schilke | Photo Credit: Washington Examiner
Danielle, whose daughter was born in July 2012, has gone on to receive several college degrees, including a bachelor’s degree, and is currently working on a master’s. After working in child welfare for five years at the Virginia Department of Social Services, Danielle now works as a special education teacher at a local high school.
Looking back, Danielle said she sees the “whole picture” and remembers nothing negative from living at the Paul Stefan homes.
“This home saves moms’ lives,” Danielle said. “Just to be able to have your identity, and to be shown that you are worth it, and you are dignified, and you’re worthy of respect, and that you are a good mom. This foundation saved my life and my child’s life, and I’m very, very successful because of it now, 10 years later.”
Fox News: Maternity Homes across the Country Give Women the Courage to Become Mothers
Article appeared in Fox News | By: Kendall Tietz | Photo Credit: Fox News
“I’m so grateful for the shelter, love, and opportunities that we’re selflessly given to me during the almost 5 years I lived at the Paul Stefan Foundation,” she said.
“I wouldn’t be able to love and raise my now 10-year-old daughter without Evelyn [PSF co-founder] showing me how to do that, by loving me … in the darkest, scariest time of my life,” she said.
Townhall: Pro-life Pregnancy Resource Centers Leave a Lasting Impact on Mothers Who Choose Life
Article appeared in Townhall | By: Madeline Leesman
“My life was saved first before her [Danielle’s child’s] life was saved when I made the decision to keep my baby because it immediately gave me a new trajectory for how to live my life,” Danielle told Townhall. “I was drug-addicted, doing all kinds of crazy criminal stuff to get by every single day. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I was like, ‘I’ll never do that again.’”
Danielle was welcomed into the maternity home and lived there for five years. In those years, she learned life skills, got a college education, and was connected to agencies and organizations that helped her learn how to put her life on track and raise her daughter. Now, Danielle is financially independent, and says that the pro-life movement helped save her life, as well as her daughter’s.
