Written by: Melinda Perez
Pregnancy is supposed to be a time of joy, a celebration of new life. But for me, it felt like a battle. I was carrying life inside me while my world was falling apart—an unfaithful partner, a father struggling with addiction, and a body that desperately needed peace but found only stress.
Every morning, I would wake up feeling my daughter move inside me—a reminder of the life I was bringing into the world. But as soon as I checked my phone, the weight of my reality crashed down on me. I’d see messages that shattered me—proof that the man who was supposed to love and support me was entertaining someone else. At the same time, my phone was flooded with calls from a detox center, urging me to come to the hospital to calm my father down. Detox was causing hallucinations, making him aggressive and uncooperative.
I felt trapped, exhausted, and alone.
As my father’s only child, I carried the full weight of his care. Though I had siblings from my mother’s side, they couldn’t fully understand. My sister was also preparing to bring life into the world, and I didn’t want to burden her. My brother and I had never been emotionally close. This battle, it seemed, was mine alone.
My father and I had always shared a deep bond. Even after my parents divorced when I was three, he remained present, always making sure I knew I was loved. He took me to parks, taught me how to ride a bike, and made my birthdays feel special. Even in his struggles with addiction, he never stopped being my dad. He knew when I was sad, even without me saying a word. He would call, check-in, and remind me that I wasn’t alone.
But addiction is cruel, and it has taken its toll. It reached a point where I had to step up for him, just as he once had for me. He wanted to get better—he fought like hell to do so. I juggled my high-risk pregnancy appointments with his rehab meetings and medical visits. Some days, I barely had the strength to keep going, but I had no choice.
At home, where I should have found peace, I instead found betrayal. The person I had once considered my best friend, the man I thought I would build a life with, had already given up on us. The heartbreak was suffocating. I would lie in bed, hand on my belly, whispering to my unborn daughter that we would make it—that I wouldn’t let her grow up in the chaos that was consuming me.
What she didn’t know yet was that she was saving me.
Her presence gave me the strength to keep showing up—for my father, for myself, for her. Hope became my fuel, even when everything around me felt hopeless.
Then, she arrived. My beautiful little girl, my light in the storm. Holding her for the first time, I felt something shift. I had a new purpose. But even in that joy, the weight of my reality remained. My father was still in rehab. My relationship was beyond saving. And just when I thought I was finding my footing, life delivered its hardest blow.
In March 2017, my father passed away after an accident. I was the one who had to make the impossible decision—to take him off life support. The pain was unbearable. I was already carrying so much, but this… this nearly broke me.
For months, I spiraled, drowning in grief, struggling to be the mother my daughter needed. But one morning, I looked at her tiny face, so full of innocence and love, and I knew I had a choice to make. I could let my pain consume me, or I could rise.
I chose resilience.
I refused to let heartbreak define me. I refused to pass down cycles of pain and loss. I refused to let my daughter grow up seeing a mother who was broken. She deserved better. And so did I.
Healing wasn’t instant. The pain didn’t disappear overnight. But every day, I chose to move forward. Some days were harder than others, but I kept going. I kept showing up. And in doing so, I reclaimed my strength.
Today, I stand stronger because of that season in my life. I learned that resilience isn’t about never falling—it’s about rising, again and again. No matter how dark life gets, there is always a way forward.
To anyone feeling overwhelmed by life’s storms, know this: you are stronger than you think. You are capable of rising. And no matter how heavy the burden, you are never truly alone.
Love – Melinda Perez