Planned Parenthood Saved Me

28 years ago, Planned Parenthood saved my life. As a young woman I had an operation to remove a fibroid. Within a week I moved from Illinois to Ohio for a new job without insurance. I began passing huge chunks of bloody material. Every healthcare provider I contacted turned me down for that lack of insurance coverage. The social safety net was not an option, as I was considered a non-resident since I had just moved to the state and would need months to establish permanent residency.

Someone mentioned Planned Parenthood; I had no idea what PP was, but I went to the office, crying and desperate. The manager sat down with me and started making phone calls. She set up a comprehensive care plan, involving an immediate visit to the emergency room. I told her the emergency room had already turned me down, but she encouraged me to go back and insist on being seen right now. She told me to come back to PP after the hospital, to obtain a referral to a provider out of town who would see me on a sliding scale, regardless of new in-state residency. She said they would be expecting me.

This time I was seen by the emergency room hospital, and the referral outside town did exactly what PP said they would. But it was the emotional support I got from that PP director that stays with me. She walked me through the process over the course of several days. And her outrage, that I could not find reproductive healthcare in a post-operative emergency instilled the sense of worth in me I needed to stand up for my needs.

A fan forever. Thank God for Planned Parenthood.

I was a young latina with no money and living in a fairly conservative house where going to a “woman’s doctor” meant only one thing, pregnancy. So I went to Planned Parenthood for a gyn chek up and they found abnormal cells in my pap smear. They treated me and also provided me with free birth control even though I was not sexually active. They took the small amount of money I had, no questions asked. I will always support them, as they supported me when I needed them.

I was alone in a new city, between jobs and without health insurance, when I discovered a lump in my breast.  After worrying about it for several weeks, I gave in and made an appointment with Planned Parenthood.  The doctor there assessed my situation, agreed I should see a specialist, and referred me to a no-cost program.  Luckily, my lump turned out to be normal breast tissue.  The diagnosis gave me so much relief; Planned Parenthood was worth every penny (not many of them, compared to other uninsured doctor’s visits I’ve had to make) and was respectful, helpful, and up-front throughout the entire process.  Pink ribbons and “awareness” are nice sentiments, but when I was in need, Planned Parenthood was there for me and my breasts.

I wouldn’t have my right kidney if not for Planned Parenthood. And maybe much worse.

Two years ago, I was fresh out of college and only working parttime at a retail job. As my only option with my salary, I went to PP for a regular yearly exam. The exam went pretty normal until the nurse felt a growth of some sort during my pelvic exam. Unsure what it was, they had me get an ultrasound immediately. Turned out, whatever it was was so huge they couldn’t even see it on the ultrasound. They were going to set me up with a hospital and doctor to find out what it was and have surgery to remove it, someone who would work with my income level. I ended up going with my mom’s gyno (big $$, should have stuck with their suggestion!) and found out that me, a girl who weighs less than 110, had a 16cm diameter dermoid cyst on my ovary. It was so huge it was pressing on my ureter (connects your kidney to your bladder). If it was found any later, it would have scarred into the ureter, destroying the kidney. It was causing me no pain so I had no idea it was there. Here I thought I was just gaining weight!

Point is, I would have been facing some SERIOUS health problems if not for Planned Parenthood finding that cyst. And they were extremely willing to help me find someone to work with my income level. Planned Parenthood didn’t just provide me with birth control, PAP exams and breast cancer screenings, they saved my life.

The Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 narrowed the definition of which clinics could qualify for pharmaceutical discounts    Because university health centers and low income clinics were unintentionally left off the list, pharmaceutical companies stopped offering discounts to colleges.  

As a result, all university clinics were affected on a national level, including my university.   The cost of birth control for students at my school skyrocketed to up to $720 a year.

According to the American College Health Association, 40% of sexually active college women use birth control.  Birth control was the most commonly filled prescription at my university—one of the largest university campuses in the United States.

When we heard the news, many of us thought we would have to cut corners to afford hormonal contraceptives.  Some of us were single and using them for birth control, one night stands, open or monogamous relationships, sure.  Others had conditions like polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, etc.  Birth control kept us in school. Some of us were married students.  Birth control kept us in our programs without worrying about having to drop out or find childcare for an unexpected child.

Enter our Planned Parenthood and a State funding stream that allowed us access to birth control at a greatly reduced cost.  My school was able to refer hundreds of students to them.

Even though the loophole has been fixed as of 2009, I wonder how many college women who decided to forgo birth control due to these price hikes ended up with unwanted pregnancies or abortions.  

When my university could not be there for us, and Congress ignored our needs, Planned Parenthood was there giving us peace of mind and the support and medications we needed to complete our educations.  Thank you.

I was a junior in college and I had no health care. I was having severe abdominal pain and I knew that something was wrong with my health. I went to Planned Parenthood, they were so supportive and helpful. I was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. I was able to get the care I needed and I have been a cancer survivor for 27 years.  I will forever be in debt to Planned Parenthood for diagnosing something that could have taken my life, and for being dedicated to women’s health!  Thank you Planned Parenthood…

I was stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and suddenly realized that i was lying, naked, dripping and unable to breathe, on the floor. The pain was so sudden, so searing and unlike anything i’d ever experienced, it took me a few minutes to pinpoint it to my abdomen. I couldn’t even consider standing, could barely uncurl myself from the instant fetal position i was in. I didn’t know what to do. I was just 16, i had been kicked out of my house by my parents, two months before i was supposed to graduate from high school and had been taken in by the parents of a friend. i had no health care, no money, no transportation, and no idea how to navigate the health care system. So i crawled to the kitchen and called my boyfriend, who came to get me and took me to Planned Parenthood. They were the only health organization that would treat anyone, regardless of ability to pay. They did not shame me, nor insinuate that my health concerns were not important. They helped me to get to an emergency room, where i discovered that i had ovarian cysts, that, while excruciating, were not life threatening and i would recover. Planned Parenthood was there for me when no one else was. Thank you Planned Parenthood, i will always support you.

Planned Parenthood helped me terminate a totally unwanted pregnancy when I was 16, on my own and scared. I have contributed every year ever since because I am grateful and because I believe they should be there for every scared young pregnant girl certain only that they are not ready to be a parent.

You’ve been there for me in a bind, and I love knowing you’re there for me now.  THANK YOU

I was sexually assaulted in high school by a close family friend, before I was able to define my sexuality. I felt devalued as a human being, and was unable to reach out to anyone I was close with. In an attempt to take back my sexuality I sought out partners in droves, having the mind set that that’s all I was good for anyway. Planned Parenthood provided me with a space where I didn’t feel judged for how I chose to deal with my assault. The primary concern was my safety. They provided me with various birth control methods and encouraged me to talk with someone when I was ready, encouraging and empowering me every step of the way. I stand with Planned Parenthood!

I was a social worker in a rural area of Georgia, administering several aid programs—Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc.—when this happened. I am being purposely vague and altering minor details to protect the clients’ privacy.

A young couple came in for the wife’s annual case review. She received Medicaid because of a lifelong illness. She couldn’t work much, and his job didn’t pay much. I could tell they had something weighing on their minds, but I thought it was just the usual worry that just $1 too much in income could strip the young lady of her access to healthcare. I was wrong.

Eventually, they came out with it; they were worried about birth control. Bluntly, a pregnancy would kill the young lady. The only birth control methods Medicaid would pay for were hormonal methods that made the young lady quite sick. They both knew the failure rate for condoms. While the lady tried not to cry, her husband stoutly declared that he would rather live celibate than risk her health…but was there anything I could suggest?

I felt like a heel; DFCS had no such program or affiliated program. Luckily, before I opened my mouth, I remembered Planned Parenthood. I asked, “Can you two manage transportation to Atlanta?”

They could. I grabbed a phone book and called Planned Parenthood of Atlanta. Could they help…? Of course they could.

The next time I saw the couple, they were all smiles. We were just passing one another in a grocery aisle, but the young lady mouthed “Thank you” to me. There were some times when being a social worker didn’t suck.

I was new in town 32 years ago, no full time job.  I knew I could get a pap exam at Planned Parenthood where I was told I had cervical cancer.  It was caught in time thanks to their excellent service and I was able to have two healthy children.  They are lifesavers.

I went to Planned Parenthood when I could not afford to go to a doctor’s office since I did not have health insurance. I hadn’t gotten a physical in a while due to lack of health insurance, and it was well past time for a GYN exam. 

While everything checked out ‘normal’ in terms of tests and exam, Planned Parenthood discovered that my blood pressure was high. So high that they suggested I visit a doctor for blood pressure medication. I did not have insurance, so I didn’t, but I took their warning seriously.

I lost weight on my own via diet and exercise, then came back and found two months later that my blood pressure had gone down. The staff at PP gave me as many possible resources as they could legally give regarding my general and sexual health. My husband and I are extremely grateful to them for their affordable services—otherwise we might not have ever known.

I have also raised over $2,500 for breast cancer research via Susan G. Komen. I will no longer participate in their walks. After all of the hard work I’ve done to help breast cancer prevention by raising money for them (whether I had insurance or not), now they wish to make breast cancer screening unavailable to me at the only available clinic. 

When I first moved countries I couldn’t get insurance for three months, but I could still get birth control and blood tests thanks to Planned Parenthood. I have been on the pill for seven years and am sexually active, having to go off it for three months would have been difficult.
P.S. Love that they are always supportive and non-judgemental!

This happened sometime before 1982, when I met my husband, and I was in my mid twenties, so it was late seventies or early eighties. I was at work, it was morning and I was talking with my coworkers. I remember to this day the feeling of the blood draining from my face and extreme nausea. I hadn’t had a period for quite sometime but I KNEW I could not be pregnant as I had not been sexually active in months. But something was wrong! I started turning over in my head “what am I going to do?”  I worked full time and I had insurance but I couldn’t go to my regular doctor. The doctor I had all my life had recently passed away and his practice had been sold to an Irish Catholic doctor but right off the boat from Ireland. I’m Irish-American Catholic and he knew it from my name.The last time I had seen him I mentioned something about where do I get a pap smear and he said a young unmarried woman my age doesn’t need such services. OK he was out, he would never believe I felt like I had morning sickness and hadn’t had a period in some time but I KNEW I couldn’t be pregnant. I know, I thought, I’ll stop by Planned Parenthood on the way home.

I had no appointment. I’m sure I was sweating from the stress I felt. Who would ever believe me “I feel like I’m pregnant and I haven’t had a period but I KNOW I’m not pregnant.” So I just went in and said I needed birth control. I knew Planned Parenthood well enough that they would give me a pelvic exam before any birth control and that’s what I wanted. I paid. It wasn’t a lot but I wanted to pay. And I waited. I was the last person seen that night. I didn’t mind.

So during the pelvic exam the doctor told me I had an ovarian cyst. He was very calm as he took off his gloves and said I’m going to give you some birth control pills and I want you to take them every day for a month and then come back and see me. OK, I said. Now when you finish these pills come right back in and see me, he said. I said OK.  I’m going to talk to the nurse and we are going to arrange for you to come back in thirty days when I’m here. The point is he must have told me 5 times very calmly but emphatically to come back in 30 days. I walked out with the pills mopping my brow thinking I KNEW something was wrong. I wasn’t very concerned ( because he acted like it was no big deal) although I was greatly relieved.

I went back in 30 days and he gave me another pelvic exam. This time as he took off his gloves I thought he was going to do a happy dance. He explained to me that I had a cyst the size of a large orange or small grapefruit on my ovary and it was gone. He explained to me that if the pills hadn’t worked that I would be in surgery the next day having it removed. He was amazed, he was smiling joyously. I can’t explain how excited he was but I can tell you I was ecstatic I wasn’t having surgery the next day. And I was feeling back to normal.

Now it is quite common to treat an ovarian cyst with birth control pills, but at the time it was new. In fact the next time I saw my Irish Catholic doctor and explained to him what happened he told me that it was impossible and that if I had had an ovarian cyst I would have had to have it surgically removed. I don’t think I ever went back to see him again. He wasn’t a bad doctor he just wasn’t as up to date as the doctor I saw at Planned Parenthood. He was a young doctor from UCLA and I saw him at a Planned Parenthood in the San Fernando Valley and I still think of him as a saint.

Thank you Planned Parenthood for the pelvic exam without me having to explain too much. Thank you for the great doctors and wonderful staff who fit someone in as the last person that night. Thank you for saving my ovary. Thank you for my kids.

And yes I have donated money to them over the years. Wouldn’t you? Shouldn’t you?

I first went to Planned Parenthood when I was sixteen, about six months after deciding to become sexually active.  I had lucked out and not yet gotten pregnant.  I knew I was taking a risk but I was young and really believed I was immune from negative outcomes, which of course included pregnancy and STDs.  I received wonderful, professional care, was educated about breast exams, and helped to choose the birth control which was best for me.  Because of Planned Parenthood I have a Master’s degree and two beautiful daughters.  I am a great mom because I didn’t have children until I was in my late 20’s, stable and educated and emotionally ready to be a parent.  Now, I work recruiting foster and adoptive parents.  It is a struggle to find enough homes to take the kids who are not lucky enough to be raised by parents who are ready and able to be even “good enough” parents.  I go to churches and speak out, asking for foster parents, and I have not yet gotten one foster home from this outreach to the “faith community”.  Put your money where your mouth is, Right Wing.  Take care of some of the kids who were not planned.  I would not be able to do the work I do for children without Planned Parenthood.

When my mother was in high school she had an unplanned pregnancy after a one-night stand. If she hadn’t been able to get a safe, legal abortion at Planned Parenthood, she never would have gone to college, met my father, and had me and my two siblings.

When I was living on my own for the first time, I had no health insurance. I started going to Planned Parenthood for check-ups and advice because they had a widely known reputation for reliable, professional health care. They started me on a lifelong path of wellness and regular checkups, and as a result I was able to catch a pre-cancerous condition and have it treated quickly and simply. A few years later I started a family, so I guess you could say that I owe my life to Planned Parenthood, and so do my two children, both of whom tutor and coach other peoples’ children…hey, thanks Planned Parenthood.

I was 24 and in a bad spot. I had just bought a house and 2 months later the national company I had worked at for 6 years closed it’s doors forever. I found myself without insurance for the first time in my life and my last PAP had been abnormal. I couldn’t go see my regular GYNO without insurance so I called the local PP and they were AMAZING!! Luckily my abnormal PAP didn’t turn out to be anything serious but knowing I had somewhere to go so I didn’t have to worry about the threat of cancer until I had insurance again was a huge relief.

I took both my sisters there when they told me they were thinking about becoming sexually active and my sister returned the favor for my cousins and her friends.

Planned Parenthood is a safe place for teens that aren’t getting the information elsewhere!