Michelle Stepney of Britain has a story to tell that truly inspires and motivates me, and I hope it does the same thing for you. You see Michelle, at age 35, discovered that she was carrying twins. And as she now tells the story, each and every time her little girls kicked from the womb, they also took a step toward saving their mommy's life.
Unknown to the celebratory mother, she had developed cervical cancer. But her preborn children's constant kicking actually dislodged the tumor!
It seems that when she went into the hospital, fearing that she might be having a miscarriage, the doctors discovered the cancer for the first time and proceeded to tell her that her babies had saved her life. In fact the news reports tell us that without the twins, "the cancer may not have been discovered until it was too late."
The ecstatic mom told the press, "I owe my life to my girls, and that's why I could have never agreed to a termination." She chose not to begin her life-saving treatment until after the girls were born, confident that everything would work out beautifully. So far it certainly has and for that we should praise God.
Michelle and her husband, Scott, now have three very healthy children, a little boy who is five and the twins. In addition Michelle has been nominated for a "Woman of Courage" award by cancer research firm UK Race for Life. She will be honored on the 12th of this month.
Her story is so inspiring for several reasons, but perhaps the most profound is that her respect for the children she was carrying profoundly touched her at a time in her life when many mothers would have opted to do whatever it took to rid themselves of the cancer, including aborting their babies. And of course, in addition to her faith in the value of her children, she must have inspired the doctors who, despite their recommendations that she abort, worked with her to provide chemotherapy while the babies continued to grow.
And as she now reflects on the miracle that has occurred in her life, she tells the media, "The doctors didn't know what the chemotherapy would do to the twins, and the first time I had it, I dreaded what it was doing to the girls. But they actually carried on growing well." Indeed, they were born at 33 weeks into the pregnancy, in December 2006, and their only problem was that they were born without hair.
OH! And Mrs. Stepney is cancer free!
The next time someone suggests that taking a preborn child's life by an act of abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother, tell them the story of this woman of courage and her beautiful twins. She is proof positive that what we need in America, and what they need in the UK too, is more faith in God's will and less in the will of politicians, doctors and others who derive power by supporting the culture of death.
As the Gospel of John tells us, there is no fear in love. "The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
