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'Everyone Said We Should Get an Abortion. I'm Really Glad I Didn't Listen'

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It’s not every day that someone shares something that is both so wholesome and so challenging that it starts a wave of positivity, but one man on Twitter got pretty close last week.

On Feb. 7, a user with the handle YungNLeveraged shared his personal story about addiction, rehabilitation, fatherhood and love.

“When I found out I was having a kid I was 22, addicted to drugs, in and out of rehab with no place to live,” he shared.

He was told what many people in his situation would be told by people who could see only the potential suffering that could come from his decision to start a family, not the potential joy.

“Everyone said we should get an abortion,” he wrote.

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“I’m really glad I didn’t listen.”

He shared a screenshot of a message, presumably between himself and his son, which read “goodnight dad love you” and “Love you too my man.”

“I entered rehab for the last time 2 days after he was born and never went back,” he continued in a follow-up tweet. “Kid completely changed my life.”

“When he was 8 I still didn’t have any money but managed to save up enough to take him to Disney World. Was just me and him. Best buds.”

The photo shows a man and a boy in front of the famous Cinderella Castle, both of them beaming.

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“So I just wanted to say that I feel like the luckiest man in the world,” he concluded. “Thanks for listening.”

The final image shows what appears to be a picture-perfect family, a sunset glow peeking through the trees behind them.

The digital heart-to-heart elicited many comments, some applauding his decision and others sharing their own stories. Many said that they too were told that they should abort, but they’re now so glad they chose life.

“No one wanted me to have him but me,” wrote one commenter, sharing a video of her baby. “His biological father still has never met him but my current boyfriend wants to adopt him. He is LOVE.”

“This hit a chord with me as I was also 22 with our first son,” a second chimed in, “and I still get a good morning message when he’s on his way to work once or twice a week (he lives with his gal now). He’s now 23 & expecting first (a little girl) in 4 weeks. You did a good job bro!!”

“Stuff brings me to tears,” wrote a third. “I was an alcoholic druggie in tons of debt. Completely quit drinking and using the day my son was born and been building a little pile of money for my family ever since. Needless to say everyone recommended abortion or abandonment. Literally everyone.”

Others shared their regret over decisions that were made.

“This hit me hard,” wrote another commenter. “In my feels. I found myself in that position too in my 20’s, almost identical, except she listened to everyone else. Today I have 3 kids, and there’s not a day that passes I don’t think about my first.”

No doubt the thought of raising a child at just 22 with no stability was terrifying, but this father has no regrets — and sharing his story might give someone else in a similar position the strength to press forward, to do the right thing, make better life choices and experience a love more difficult and more rewarding than anything he or she has known before.

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Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she's strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.
As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn't really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she's had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children's books with her husband, Edward.
Location
Austin, Texas
Languages Spoken
English und ein bißchen Deutsch
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Animals, Cooking




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