February 2008
Greg and Alissa six years later…

It has been six years since we gave birth to our precious Jordan and said our heartbroken goodbyes at her funeral.  It would be a lie to say that the pain is gone and that we are “back to normal”, because the truth is, we have forever been changed in ways that are so profound and irreversible.  The difference today is that our pain doesn’t own us.  We cry and grieve when we need to, but mostly, we have learned to turn that energy toward revealing the significance of our journey to others.

We have had many years to really reflect on our experience with Jordan and to search deep and pray hard for explanations to our unanswered questions.  With our struggle to find reason, came conversion and awakening.  Jordan was not meant for this life, to live with us and grow old.  She was who she was, and for us to wish that she was without Trisomy 18, would be to wish for a totally different child.  And that we do not do.  We accept who she was and the calling from God to be her loving parents.  We have come to a place in which we are sincerely grateful for our suffering and know that without it, we would still be living our ordinary lives, unaware of the true potential that the Heavenly Father has for His children.

Along the way, we have grown so strong in our convictions and have developed a very serious sense of what is undeniably wrong in this world.  We believe that Jordan was sent for many reasons, but the one most clear to us is that, through our witness, her existence has inspired and challenged people to acknowledge and respect the value of human life inside the womb.  She was not just the “product of conception” or an “unhealthy pregnancy”.  She was a real person, a real soul, and a real spirit, just as every unborn baby is. 

We have spent the last couple years, especially most recently, involving ourselves in pro-life activities and as Jordan’s parents and dedicated Christians, we have an unending responsibility to try and save lives by sharing our story with anyone who will listen.  Our purpose is evident to us now and we have vowed that for the rest of our lives, we will be an unwavering voice for the most innocent and helpless. 

As part of our efforts, Greg has launched a new website, Pro-Life Men of America Inc. (www.prolifemen.org).  This is a pre-abortion help center for men, designed to assist them in supporting an expecting mother to choose life for her unborn baby.  It is our hope and prayer that through this website, lives will be saved and families will be strengthened.  He has also witnessed at a Men's Retreat called Vita Nova (http://www.vitanova.org).  Alissa also witnessed at a women's gathering called Women of Mary, which was videotaped and is available to view on Godtube ( http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3401ec27d3e8df2e4395).  It has been our honor to witness in public to others and hope that it is in God's plan that we have more opportunities in the future to share our story.

We are also delighted to announce that we have been blessed with two more daughters after Jordan, both whom are very healthy.  At ages 4 and 7 months, they are both very active and absolutely joyful!  Nowadays, we enjoy a busy family life and we love it!  We work hard and make sacrifices, just as other families do, and we make our time with each other count.  Our passion for our girls, all three of them, is what drives our spirits.  They keep us strong, faithful and focused. 

And above all, our love for our Lord continues to grow and be refined.  We have found so much mercy in His love and comfort in His friendship.  Although not an easy task to give up all of our suffering, guilt, anger and fear, we have personally found that it is a necessary part of healing and restoration.  We believe in salvation and eternal life if we persevere in the name of Jesus, and so we live as faithfully as we know how.  And what we rely on most for ourselves and for our children, is that our daily walk with the Holy Spirit empowers us to be a bright light in this dark world.

We invite you to e-mail us anytime at alissa_coulombe@yahoo.com or greg@prolifemen.com.  We are always so honored when people contact us and share their supportive and caring thoughts about our story.  We also welcome personal questions about our experience and encourage this site to be forwarded to anyone who would benefit from it. 
God Bless!