Despite facing an unplanned pregnancy during her first year in college, she persevered and was able to get her diploma and become a business owner. Having six children didn’t stop her from having a fulfilling life.

20-year-old Victoria had just started college and was three months into a new relationship when she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant.

“I have always been pro-life. God is the creator of life. If there was a life inside of me, my view was that there was a purpose for it. So right from the get-go, I knew I wanted to keep the baby, even though I was scared and didn’t know what it was going to look like,” Victoria says.

PRESSURE TO CHOOSE ABORTION

Victoria’s ultrasound photo.

After telling her then-boyfriend about the pregnancy, Victoria shared the news with her sister. Both of them took the news well. Her boyfriend was happy, and her sister was encouraging. But Victoria knew her family wouldn’t have the same reaction.

Victoria’s parents went on a trip to visit their home in Malaysia, so she waited until they returned to share her pregnancy with them. 

“Immediately the reaction was what I thought it would be. They started freaking out,” Victoria recalls.

Many of Victoria’s family members, including her mom, worked in the medical field. Her mom talked to a doctor at the hospital she worked at to get a professional opinion about the pregnancy.

Victoria says, “My mom came back that night saying, ‘I spoke with the doctor. Based on your circumstances, his recommendation is that you get an abortion.’”

Although Victoria stayed adamant about keeping her baby, her family continued to pressure her to get an abortion. She remembers getting a call from when she was seven months along from an aunt who urged her to terminate her pregnancy.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Victoria’s aunt asked. “You know, it’s a lot raising a child. I spoke with a doctor, and he said that he’s willing to perform an abortion for you if you still want. No one would have to know.”

Hearing that from her aunt was disheartening and surprising. Victoria could feel her baby kicking inside of her as her aunt spoke those words.

‘THERE’S PURPOSE IN THIS’

Victoria’s first child, Ayana.

Victoria felt ostracized from her family during her pregnancy and received no support because she wouldn’t get an abortion. Her mom stopped talking to her, but eventually had a change of her heart once she met her grandchild.

“I had a belief in God, even though I hadn’t surrendered my life to Him at that point,” Victoria says. “I knew God created this life for a reason, so it wasn’t up to me to take that life. It wasn’t up to me to try to control my circumstances … But I just knew there had to be a greater purpose, and that’s what I held on to because it was rough.”

Victoria remembers the moment she held and saw her daughter for the first time. She felt an overwhelming, newfound love that she had not experienced before. Looking at her daughter showed her that she can trust in God’s plan for her life and that He will work everything out for good.

“I always tell my daughter that she changed my life. Even leading up to me becoming a Christian, God used her to show me what real love was because I didn’t understand the concept of love,” Victoria says. 

Despite having an unplanned pregnancy during her first year in college, Victoria persevered and graduated with a diploma in computer assisted drafting and design. It took a lot of sacrifice for Victoria to finish college. She had to take her daughter to a home daycare so she could attend classes.

“I was in college pregnant, pulling all-nighters to finish assignments. It was actually a really stressful time because I was in school. I was working. I was fighting on and off with my boyfriend at the time. It was a rocky relationship, so it was a lot of stress,” Victoria says. “It was a rough time, but I just held on to the hope that there’s purpose in this and God will work it out — and He did.”

Victoria as a single mom with her first two children. 

Victoria didn’t surrender her life to the Lord until she hit rock bottom. She had been living with her child’s father at the time, but their relationship was unstable and unhealthy. He eventually kicked Victoria and her daughter out of the house one night after a fight at around 3 in the morning. 

Feeling hopeless, Victoria went to a park nearby and sat on a bench. She didn’t know that God was trying to speak to her at that moment. She was thinking about her life and knew she needed something better for herself and her daughter.

Victoria went home to her sister and expressed that she was ready to give her life to the Lord. Her sister helped her say a prayer to God. Little did Victoria know that her sister had been intentionally praying for her salvation a week or two before that night.

BY GOD’S GRACE

Victoria with her husband and six children.

Victoria married her husband in 2014 and has been blessed with six children. Her oldest child, Ayana, is now a 17-year-old senior in high school. 

Victoria didn’t let motherhood stop her from being successful and achieving her goals. She opened her own art and photography business and later had two tattoo studios in Toronto. Now, she’s staying at home with her children to focus on her family.

“There’s this stigma that you can’t do things with your life when you have a child, but I was able to, and I was able to do so by God’s grace. I’ve been able to open a business while being a leader in my church and managing my household. Being a mom, I want to break the stigma that you can’t have a life and be a mother,” Victoria says.

Motherhood completely changed Victoria’s life. She wouldn’t be the person that she is today if she had not become a mom. For her, there is a sense of purpose and fulfillment in motherhood because mothers are leaving a legacy that will change the world.

“I just wish that people could know and experience the fulfillment that you actually do get out of becoming a mother. It’s a role that’s downplayed and looked at in such a negative light. We, as mothers, are literally responsible for raising the next generation who will go out and change the world. And we’re able to change the world as well,” Victoria says.