by Camila Z.

​When my husband and I realized we were having trouble conceiving, my sister recommended a large downtown fertility clinic. From the very first visit, it felt like I was on a conveyor belt — medication, procedures, insurance paperwork, repeat. It was dehumanizing. I felt less like a patient and more like a milking cow — and they were milking my insurance company for every covered procedure.

After months of failed attempts, they labeled me with “unexplained infertility.” Their next suggestion? In vitro fertilization. But not to worry, they said — my insurance covered most of it. We’d only have to pay $6,000 to $10,000. I asked if they thought it would work. They said there was a money-back guarantee — after six failed tries.

My gut said run.

I had felt called to be a mother for as long as I could remember, and though this door seemed closed, I didn’t give up. Becoming a foster mom gave me a way to live that calling while we kept hoping and praying for healing.

Then one day, a friend asked me to drive her to a doctor’s appointment an hour away. She had been suffering from terrible pelvic pain. Her local gynecologist had brushed it off as “normal period issues” and told her to rest. But after a visit to the Convent of the Sisters of Life in Philadelphia, she was urged to get a second opinion — at a place called the Gianna Center in the suburbs.

That decision saved her life.

The Gianna Center took her seriously. They performed an ultrasound on the spot and immediately sent her to the emergency room — she had an ectopic pregnancy. Without proper diagnosis and swift action, she might not be here today. Thanks to their care, she has since given birth to two beautiful girls.

While I waited in their lobby, I picked up a pamphlet and started reading. I made an appointment. I gave it a shot.

That single decision changed everything.

At the Gianna Center, I learned how to care for my body — how to understand what was happening inside and how to respond to it with wisdom and grace. I learned that God created me with intention and purpose, and that taking care of myself was part of honoring that gift. Through compassionate, personalized care, the women at Gianna not only touched my body — they touched my soul.

They also diagnosed the real causes of what had been dismissed elsewhere as “unexplained infertility,” and they connected me with the surgical team who corrected those issues.

One month after we adopted our son through foster care, I found out I was expecting. And just a month after our daughter’s first birthday, I found out I was expecting again.

The blessings keep coming.

People often ask, “Who was the first person you called after your positive pregnancy test?”
It wasn’t my mom. It wasn’t my sister. It was the Gianna Center.

Because they knew my journey. They walked with me from day one. While most providers won’t see pregnant women until 8 to 10 weeks, the Gianna Center saw me the day after my positive pregnancy test. Every time. They ensured my babies were cared for — body and soul — from the very beginning.

And now, I want to give back.

This Mother’s Day, I’m asking for your help to support the only center of its kind in our region — a place offering pro-life, holistic women’s health and fertility care, grounded in dignity and truth.

Here’s what’s on the Gianna Center’s Mother’s Day wish list:

• Health insurance coverage for their dedicated employees

• Lifesaving ultrasound machines and updated medical equipment

• Funding for a larger facility to expand services

• Staff to meet growing needs — including:

  • A full-time ultrasound tech

  • A NaPro surgeon like the one who helped me — because the closest one now is in Harrisburg, with a years-long waiting list which I was on

• Financial support to bridge the gap between the life-affirming care they provide and what insurance companies actually reimburse​

Because the Gianna Center saves lives — whether or not it’s covered, and whether or not a woman can pay. I have to admit, there were times when I didn’t have coverage, and they didn’t bat an eye. We just figured it out together, like everything else.

Your gift today ensures that no woman is ever turned away. No life ever overlooked.

Join me in honoring mothers, babies, and the sacred journey in between.