Her mom, Becky, was told she’d never have children. When she got pregnant, she and her husband Dave were overjoyed.
But because they were living with Becky’s abusive mother, it also put their future plans into fast-forward.
“My mom was very violent,” Becky says. “It was very horrible. She went for my stomach when I was pregnant.”
Becky’s mother had never treated her well. In fact, she was never taught to do math, read or even shop by herself. When she and Dave got married, he began teaching her and she realized how much of her life she had lost.
With Becky’s mom being a threat to their unborn baby, they knew they had to get out. . .
Becky and Dave started making plans to move, but before they could secure their own place, Becky’s mother left — leaving the rent unpaid and eviction looming. One night, as Becky was doing the dishes, her water broke. They rushed to the hospital and Abby was born.
Released to the Streets
Abby was born with medical compilations, including a severe case of acid reflux, that kept her hospitalized for several weeks. When she was released, the new family had nowhere to go. Dave took his family to housing services right away.
“They told me I had to wait at least 24 more hours,” Dave says.
“We were living minute to minute, not knowing what was going to happen,” he says.
Dave heard about a clinic that might be able to help. They walked over as quickly as they could. Hearing their story, the staff there called Tacoma Rescue Mission and our outreach team hurried over.
“About 30 minutes later, they walked in,” Dave says. “They wanted to help us right away. Five hours is all it took.”
That night, Abby, Dave and Becky were safe, they were fed, and they had warm beds to sleep in. And because of the generosity of people like you, they still do. They’re currently staying at our Adam’s Street Family Campus as they continue to heal and get back on their feet.
“If this place did not exist, that baby would have died. That’s a hard, medical fact,” Dave says.
