We didn’t feel like patients. We felt like friends.
Mary Jane and Austin had recently relocated from Georgia seeking better opportunities. Mary Jane had three children from a previous relationship, and they had talked about having a child together “someday.”
They weren’t expecting “someday” to be any time soon, but a home pregnancy test told otherwise. Mary Jane knew she would need an ultrasound, but with no money and no insurance, she was worried. She found First Care Clinic’s ad for free ultrasounds and thought “This must be a scam.” But a quick call reassured her it really was free, no strings attached. She made an appointment to be seen on the mobile clinic.
Sadly, there was no heartbeat. Mary Jane didn’t know how to feel, but she was glad she had come to our clinic. “The nurse shared things I’d never heard in all my pregnancies from my Ob/Gyn. She gave us all the time we needed to process everything and ask questions.”
Fast forward a few months later, and Mary Jane felt the familiar symptoms of pregnancy. “I knew right away I was going to First Care Clinic.”
This time, their baby had a heartbeat. Austin was cautiously optimistic, “I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up. But then I saw my baby, and that heartbeat, everything came into perspective. I thought, I’m going to be a DAD. Suddenly, I felt scared.”
But not for long.
“Our nurse, Jenni, shared resources we never knew existed,” said Austin. “They enrolled us in Badger Care, gave us vitamins, told us about the parenting and childbirth classes. She made us feel calm and ready for the next step. We didn’t feel like patients – we felt like friends.”
Mary Jane added, ”I really appreciated that Jenni didn’t presume to know what decision I was going to make about the pregnancy. She talked about all my options in an objective way that helped me to know she wasn’t here to judge me – just to help me.”
And that nonjudgmental, caring support, made all the difference for Mary Jane, Austin and their family.
“We’re feeling confident and oh, so grateful. I’m so glad that people in our community care enough to make these services free to people they will never meet. It shows how much they care.”
