DANIELLE'S STORY
At 20 years old, Danielle was terrified to find herself staring at two pink lines on a pregnancy test. She was immersed in a world of drugs, alcohol and risky behavior that she used to numb the pain of years of abuse and assault.
“I knew that I was carrying life - that it wasn’t just me anymore,” she said, “but I had no money, and my family refused to support me.”
That is when found a local maternity home, the Paul Stefan Foundation. It was here when she was welcomed with open arms and spent the next five years learning valuable life skills and gaining the education needed to get a good job for herself and her growing baby girl.
Danielle describes those years as the “hardest of my entire life, but they transformed me and my future in an incredible way.” She has remained involved with the home ever since, and today she serves her community as a foster care social worker in the Virginia Department of Social Services.
“So many women resort to abortion because they think it’s their only option, or that their baby will hinder their goals. I wish I could comfort those women, and tell them how keeping my baby motivated me to achieve every single goal that I set my mind on. I’d tell them that I named my daughter Lei’Lani, which means royal child of heaven. Why? I tell anyone who will listen – God sent her to me to save my life.”
Lei'Lani and Danielle