Their first Christmas together as husband and wife should be an interesting one for Anna and Ajay.
The couple and their six-month-old daughter Alexandra (Sasha) are among the growing number of people who give proof of the positive, life-affirming work being done by Toronto’s Aid of Women service.
When Anna, 20, and Ajay, 37, met and married last spring, they looked forward to making new lives together in Canada. Ajay was steadily working in the restaurant business, and although money was not plentiful, the couple managed to make ends meet.
News of Anna’s pregnancy however, gave them reason to pause. About 10 weeks into the pregnancy, the couple decided that an abortion would be the solution to what would surely be greater financial hardship.
Prior to keeping an appointment with the abortionist however, Anna visited Aid to Women on Gerrard St., and the things began to change.
“We didn’t want money to be a factor in losing our baby to abortion,” Anna said. “Thanks to the people at Aid to Women, we were able to work out a plan.”
Aid to Women staff offered financial and material support, along with a referral to a caring, committed physician who would perform the delivery.
As new Canadians, the couple had no medical insurance, so it was necessary to work out a plan to repay the hospital and follow-up care costs. Such details are minor compared to the joy Anna and Ajay now feel as parents to their baby daughter.
“We’re very happy with the decision to keep the baby,” Ajay said. “And we owe so much to Aid to Women for all the help and support they gave us.”
To be sure, the couple still faces some uncertainty, but they are comfortable and content in the mid-Toronto apartment. They delight in their new daughter and they remain thankful that they didn’t allow financial worries to be an excuse to end the girl’s life.
As a member of the Hindu faith, Ajay doesn’t normally celebrate Christmas. But with a Christian wife (formerly of Moscow), and a new baby at home, Ajay has new reasons to celebrate life. The family  is planning a modest Christmas celebration, with a new high chair for Alexandra being high on the shopping list.