“Getting to live here makes the struggle I went through worth it. In many ways, it’s too good to be true. Madonna House is exactly what I needed to feel safe and secure during my pregnancy.”

As Tori studies in the computer lab, she looks like a happy student working toward exciting and new goals. But getting to this spot has not been an easy journey. While she is thrilled with her new path, she can’t help but reflect back on the road that led her here.

Pregnant and scared, Tori was in need of a major change in her life. She spent hours researching transitional living homes, looking for a safe environment to live in, but says most didn’t accept pregnant women and the beds were few and far between for those that did. Facing one discouraging hurdle after another, she persisted anyway. She was accepted into Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma’s Madonna House.

“Getting to live here makes the struggle I went through worth it,” she says. “In many ways, it’s too good to be true. Madonna House is exactly what I needed to feel safe and secure during my pregnancy.”

She also found Madonna House a place to be surrounded by love as she made the difficult decision to place her baby up for adoption.

Madonna House is no ordinary transitional living program; it is a program for those choosing life. Pregnant women and mothers of infants find it to be a loving and supportive oasis during a very challenging time. Residents say the community setting enables them to build friendships and gain support from others going through similar situations. The women also receive “life coaching” from qualified staff, and when time is needed to be alone residents, can retreat to their own bedroom and private bath.

“This is the ideal place for ladies to have the opportunity to find their footing before stepping out on their own again,” says Manager Veronika Swiney.

For Tori, finding her footing involves dealing with the grief of her tough decision, but also getting on with bettering her life. That is why she is often found in the computer lab studying. She says that during weekly coaching and wellness sessions, she created a goals list. During this process, she realized she no longer wants to be a housekeeper but instead wants to get an education and work in medicine. Veronika helped her to discover a newfound feeling of worthiness and gave her the encouragement she needed to apply for the Certified Nursing Assistance program. She was quickly accepted to the program and, once complete, she will work in the medical field with a long-term goal of one day becoming a Registered Nurse.

Tori was able to choose the adoptive parents of her healthy baby boy through an open adoption process. “I could not have picked a better family for my baby,” she says. She will get to visit the baby and keep up with him throughout his lifetime. But for now, she knows she made a kind and courageous decision. She is grateful for the safety and security of Madonna House, being cared for when emotions surface, dealing with the grief as it comes, and staying on task for her new journey.

To learn more about Madonna House, visit cceok.org/madonnahouse.