Khya was given an "incompatible with life" diagnosis.
I'm very blessed and honored to be Khya's Mom. Along with my other five children.
Stephanie Spidell's Story "Even before I felt her move within me, before I knew her gender or gave her a name, and especially when she was given an 'incompatible with life' diagnosis in utero, my daughter was a special gift who deserved to be loved and protected as a legal person." — Stephanie Spidell
Stephanie Spidell, of Sacramento, California, never expected to become an advocate for the Pro-Life cause. At age fifteen (15), she became pregnant with her first baby. Over the following years (which included a marriage), she had fifteen (15) more pregnancies. Nine (9) of them ended in abortion and two (2) in miscarriage. Although she's given birth to five (5) beautiful children, Stephanie didn't consider herself Pro-Life until she experienced a series of remarkable events during her last pregnancy.
Having recently become her niece's guardian after her sister's murder and discouraged by a lack of support from her baby's father, Stephanie had originally intended to obtain an abortion. As she headed into a local abortion business, she met two (2) Sacramento sidewalk counselors. Through their efforts, the encouragement of other advocates for life, and many prayers, Stephanie changed her mind and chose life for her baby. Soon after, she learned her child would be born with a cleft lip.
Medical professionals encouraged her to have an abortion, but she decided against it, as a cleft lip is easily corrected with cosmetic surgery.
But then Stephanie received the devastating news that her baby had the most serious form of Holoprosencephaly,1 a birth defect resulting from a malformation in the brain, which the experts described as "incompatible with life." The doctors pressured her strongly to abort and warned her that, if born alive, her daughter would live only six (6) months at most.
Stephanie then met with the sidewalk counselors to seek their advice. They told her, "Your daughter is a person and therefore she has dignity, no matter what anyone tells you." Finally seeing her Pre-Born daughter as a person changed her outlook and her life forever. And for a third time, Stephanie chose life for her baby girl.
The sidewalk counselors coordinated with the city of Elk Grove's two (2) Catholic parishes (St. Joseph and Good Shepherd), along with the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Gabriel Project, and other outreaches.
These groups provided Stephanie with maternity clothes, rent, groceries, Christmas gifts, and the family van, all prior to little Khya's birth, without knowing whether she would even survive delivery. Most of the baby gifts were intended to help "make memories" for the brief time Khya was expected to live.
When Khya was born, Stephanie had nothing prepared for her, because she'd been told her baby would probably be stillborn. But the same groups united to help her and provided everything she needed during the first year, from diapers to a stroller to a car seat.
Khya faced severe health problems, including seizures, and is fed through a tube. Her condition isn't correctable through surgery, except for her cleft lip. Many people ask Stephanie when she's going to take care of this. But this would just subject Khya to non-essential cosmetic surgery, so Stephanie was hesitant to do it. Despite these challenges, Khya, her family, Walter and Lori Hoye, and their supporters joyfully celebrated her second birthday in April of 2013. Khya would stay with us, with all of us, until God called her home to heaven on Friday, November 22nd, 2013.
Khya'sfuneral was held on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 at Presentation Parish, presided over by Father Patrick Lee and Father Jeremy Leatherby.Walter Hoyegave the eulogy.2
"Despite the medical community's strong pressure to end her life through a late-term abortion, as a family, we loved her unconditionally and wanted to support and cherish her for as much time as we might have with each other. Being her Mom has taught me that all life is precious and deserves to be protected by love and by law without exceptions, encouraging me to be a voice for the most vulnerable among us, for the children whom the world sees as "imperfect" or 'disabled.'" 3
We Need Your Help!
This newsletter highlights the uncompromising work of the Issues4Life Foundation. As you can see, this type of outreach has no precedent and is unparalleled in its ability to address the heart of the matter, strengthen Black leadership's stand against abortion on demand and answers the questions surrounding the bioethical issues that impact our humanity. Lori and I really need your help. The Pro-Life movement cannot conduct her business as usual and wait until 2020 to reach out to Black America. We've got to go to work now and in ways that reflect and resolve the ever increasing difficulty of our task. This is why we need your help. Please consider, that a generous donation at this time will go a long way. If the Lord puts it on your heart to financially support our work, CLICK HERE to give.
Brothers, we need to talk.
References:
01. Holoprosencephaly,, is a birth defect that arises during the first few weeks of the pregnancy. (http://bit.ly/2eMgexR).
02. Khya Amarie Polk-Thompson's, funeral was held on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 at Presentation parish, presided over by Farther Patrick Lee and Father Jeremy Leatherby. Pastor Walter Hoye gave the euology. (http://bit.ly/2uXs6De).
03. Stephanie Spidell's, personal comments (http://bit.ly/2uvB5e3).
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