They say that there is no worse thing than a parent losing a child. This would be confirmed by Nicky*, who last autumn experienced the traumatic loss of her little son Arsenis at just 7 days old…

Her pregnancy was unplanned, and when she learned that the father of her child was imprisoned abroad for 3 years, she despaired and decided to have an abortion. But, miraculously, two attempts failed; when she first came in contact with the Hope Center, she had now made the decision to keep the baby.

The journey of her pregnancy had many ups and downs. The initial trial came with the first ultrasound, which showed that the baby had a high chance of suffering from Down syndrome – news that psychologically catastrophized Nicky. The Hope Center was always with her, wanting to offer her a place where she would feel safe and supported in whatever she decided. After much discussion she finally decided that she couldn’t bear to know if her baby had a serious condition; so she chose to have an amniocentesis. She also decided that if the child had Down syndrome, then she would have an abortion.

Knowing that this decision would be very difficult, the Hope Center team stood by her with respect and understanding of what she was going through. At the same time, the team helped her with the language interpretation at each exam, as Nicky did not speak Greek or English. Eventually, the tests showed that the baby did not have Down syndrome. We all thanked God, especially Nicky whose joy was indescribable.

Her joy did not last long, as the following examinations revealed unpleasant results: the baby had a rare and serious abnormality in his heart, which could possibly be treated with surgery after childbirth. Nicky faced the news with admirable composure and hope that the little one would be able to win this big battle; the Hope Center team continued to stand by her with much love.

On September 6, Nicky went into labor; with a member of our team, she arrived at the hospital for a cesarean section, a delivery decision made to reduce stress on the baby. The mother held her son in her arms for only a minute before they took him to be cared for at the children’s hospital.

As soon as she was discharged Nicky asked us to accompany her to the hospital. Although visits were not allowed due to the baby’s critical condition and covid-19 precautions, we went with her. It was very difficult and heartbreaking for her to be a few meters away from her baby and not be able to see him. During this time, our team was in daily contact with the doctors, relaying the news to the mother. Unfortunately, the situation worsened and in a week little Arsenis left this earth. Nicky was filled with pain and sadness … in a few days, we went up the steps of the hospital with her again to see her little boy for the second and last time. While supporting Nicky through this ordeal the shock of the situation was immense for our team as well.

After the death of her baby, Nicky started substance abuse. Apart from mourning, she said that she also felt great social shame and feared the comments from her neighborhood. Meanwhile, she had to organize the funeral of her baby, a task that seemed like an insurmountable mountain; the Hope Center team undertook all the funeral preparations, leaving Nicky time to begin processing all that had happened. A few days later Arsenis’ funeral took place with only a few friends and the Hope Center team attending.

The next days and weeks passed with difficulty. We stayed in regular contact with Nicky to make sure that she was well and we were glad that she also maintained constant contact with us. She showed us that she felt safe to share with us whatever she was processing, and we in turn were there to listen to her. It took her a long time to accept the situation and even more time to get out of her house and take care of herself. Our contact, although not as frequent now, is ongoing. Little Arsenis was a brave boy, who fought hard for his life. So we will remember him and we will always have him in our hearts.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of those we serve.