Jesus Met Me in the Operating Room: One Mother’s Return to the Heart of the Catholic Faith

After a life-threatening pregnancy, this mom said yes to Jesus — fully and forever.

(Photo provided)

By Kelly Clark

I was raised Catholic. Baptized, confirmed – the whole 9 yards. I did all the “right” things growing up. My mother always told me – keep God at the center of your life and all will be well. I always believed in God, but somewhere along the way, faith became background noise—something I did, not something I lived. I became a “casual Catholic.” Church on Sundays… most of the time. Prayer, when it was convenient or when I needed something. God was a quiet presence, but not a central one.

Then life moved quickly: I got married to a wonderful man, and we started a family. Around the time I became pregnant with our first child in 2018, something began stirring in me. It was subtle at first—a longing, maybe even a restlessness. I couldn’t name it then, but looking back, I know it was the gentle whisper of God calling me home. I wanted to abide more fully in relationship with him. I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted more.

And then — everything changed.

Late in my pregnancy, I experienced a placental abruption. It’s as terrifying as it sounds — a blood clot on the placenta that often ends in tragedy. I was rushed to Swedish Hospital for an emergency C-section. It was chaotic and terrifying. I was overwhelmed with fear — not just for myself, but for the baby I had waited and prayed for.

But then, God showed up.

The on-call doctor was from Bella Health and Wellness. She noticed my fear, saw the scapular my mother had placed around my neck, and said gently, “Oh… you’re Catholic. Let’s pray.”

I don’t remember the exact words she spoke, but I remember the feeling: warmth. Peace. Calm. I knew in that moment — knew — that God had placed her there for me and for my daughter. She was his instrument. And he was telling me, “I’m here. I’ve always been here.”

That moment was a turning point. I knew then I couldn’t keep living halfway. I needed to give my life to Jesus. All of it. No more being “casual.” I wanted to be “all in.”

I started praying — not just when I had time, but as a lifeline. I prayed for guidance, for change, for purpose and most importantly, for thanks. After another child in 2020 and then the birth of our twins in 2022 (yes, twins!), I was offered a job working for the Church — something I never could have imagined, but now see as part of God’s perfect plan. I look around at my life now — four beautiful children, a husband who loves me deeply, a family rooted in faith — and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

I want people to know Jesus the way I’m learning to know him: not as an abstract idea, not as a distant judge, but as a real, living, loving Savior who meets you exactly where you are. Who loves you as you are — with your quirks, your fears, your wounds, your messy, beautiful heart. No matter what.

I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my entire life — not because everything is perfect, but because I know I’m not alone. Jesus is with me. He was with me in the operating room that day in 2018. He was with me when I so painfully lost my fifth child in 2024. And he is with me now through diapers and dishes, school pickups and bedtime prayers. He’ll be with me always, as my name is written in heaven, just like yours.

That’s why I’m Catholic.