BREWERVILLE – In the heart of the Rainbow Community in Brewerville City, 18-year-old Melody M. Turay is emerging as a quiet symbol of courage and perseverance. Her story, marked by adversity, fear, and redemption, came to light during Liberia’s first online Pro-life training hosted by Church Aid Inc. and the New Water in the Desert Assembly Church, headquarters of the Apostolic Pentecostal Churches International (APCI).
Melody became pregnant at the age of 16 while living with her father, Vanyuman Toomey, and attending Mother Tesgeste Stewart School in Brewerville. Confronted with immense pressure from her father and fear shared by her then-boyfriend, she says she made multiple attempts to terminate the pregnancy. “Even when it was three months, we tried,” she recalled. “I spoke with my sister and friends, and everyone agreed it should be aborted.”
But despite the consensus and her growing panic, Melody’s attempts failed. She resorted to ingesting unknown herbs in a desperate bid to end the pregnancy. “Several thoughts crossed my mind. I was confused. There was no one to offer a better way out,” she recounted. As the first child of her late mother, Gbessay Massalay, Melody lacked maternal guidance and support. Her mother died when she was just three years old, and her father, she says, remains unrelenting and unreconciled.
In a moment of self-liberation, Melody decided to keep the baby. “I said to myself, enough of this pressure. I won’t abort this pregnancy. Whatever my father wants to do, let him go ahead,” she said. Today, her decision has brought joy, not regret. She is the proud mother of 14-month-old Abraham S. Howard, who, in a twist of fate, shares the same birthdate as his mother, May 19.
Though she continued attending school with her pregnancy unnoticed for several months, Melody eventually dropped out during her second trimester. But support came from an unexpected source. Her boyfriend’s mother, initially upset by the news, eventually embraced Melody and brought her into her home in Brewerville. Despite her son’s battle with drug addiction, she became Melody’s pillar, offering love, stability, and encouragement.
Melody’s boyfriend, now undergoing rehabilitation at a church-supported center that accepts only 30 youths every six months, is working toward recovery. Meanwhile, Melody is focused on her future. “I got promoted to the 12th grade, and I’m very excited,” she shared, crediting her decision to choose life and the guidance she received through the Pro-life training for her current strength.
She expressed deep gratitude to her boyfriend’s mother, who not only opened her home but also helped care for baby Abraham and pushed Melody to resume her education. “She has limited resources but gives me love in every way,” said Melody.
Now preparing for her senior year of high school, Melody says she will never encourage abortion. “It could mean losing a precious life,” she warned, reflecting on the choices that nearly claimed her son’s existence.
Still, challenges remain. Melody dreams of reconciling with her father, who has yet to accept her or her child. She also worries about balancing school, childcare, and economic hardships. Yet despite all this, her determination to build a better life remains unwavering.
In Melody Turay’s story, a young Liberian girl’s struggle for dignity, motherhood, and education finds new meaning in the face of overwhelming odds.
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