However, after my dad recommended shadowing Ms. Rizzo at Hope
Clinic and I took a look at their website, the image in my mind began to
change. By the time I set foot inside the building the stereotypical crisis
pregnancy clinic I imagined had completely evaporated. The first thing I
noticed was the smell: autumn-scented candles. To my right was what looked like
could be someone’s living room but was in fact the waiting room. I immediately
felt right at home. The Hope Clinic created a welcoming environment that could
easily calm the nerves of anyone who walked right through the front doors and
met Desirée, the receptionist. As the first face young women, men, and families
see when they first arrive, Desirée knows how to give the patients the reassurance
they needed that they made the right decision by coming o Hope Clinic. I then
met Renée, the woman who leads this group of people who reaches out to these
families and offers them help. She gave me a tour of the building and I saw
what set Hope Clinic apart from any other crisis pregnancy clinic.
Hope Clinic offers counseling for not only those in an unplanned
pregnancy who are stilling consideration an abortion, parenting or adoption,
but also for post-partum depression, those dealing with miscarriages and other
forms of pregnancy loss, and family counseling. They have nurse practitioners onsite,
counselors for young men and parents who are seeking help, and those who give
guidance regarding prevention plans. I realized by the end of the day, that
while I may not have needed the services Hope
Clinic for Women has to offer, there are too many 18-year-old high school
students out there like me who don’t know about the option that is Hope Clinic.
I used to think that if I ever got pregnant in high school, my options would be
abortion, adoption, or drop out and raise my son or daughter, and I used to
think that I w
Woould only have my family to rely on. I always thought about the
consequences too, never the possible solutions there were beyond my family and
friends. Until now, I never realized the existence of a clinic that could
provide support and guidance for not only me, but for the father and my family.
I never realized there was hope.
We need to continue getting the word out about this beacon of hope
Renée Rizzo and her team provides because while they may not need it now, there
may come a time in the future when a friend, family member, or they may need to
meet Renée. I’m not saying that when the time comes you won’t have anything to
worry about anymore, but if that day comes, you won’t be alone. There really is hope at Hope Clinic for Women.
Jesse
Pyle, student at Brentwood High School