The birth of a child is a time of joy, excitement, and love. But for Martha, the birth of her firstborn, Boaz, quickly became a time of fear, uncertainty, and rejection.
Martha’s pregnancy was difficult and filled with worry, but she says, “I thank God. He carried me through until the very end, and I delivered safely.”
The day Boaz was born is unforgettable. The labor was painful, and doctors considered performing surgery. When the baby finally arrived, the nurses pulled her mother aside. Martha saw her mother crying and feared the worst.
“I asked the nurse, ‘Where is my child?’ I thought maybe he had died,” Martha recalls. “The nurse came to me and said, ‘Don’t worry, your baby is here. Congratulations, you have a baby boy. But, he has a condition.”
Boaz was born with albinism.
Martha insisted on being given her child. She hugged Boaz tightly and prayed, “God, I thank You for this child. And I promise to love him until my last breath.” Neither Martha’s family nor her husband’s had ever seen anyone with albinism. The news was shocking, but her in-laws were supportive, calling Boaz a gift from God.
Even so, the wider community reacted with gossip and fear. Some people whispered that her marriage would not survive. Others said she was cursed. A few visitors even refused to hold Boaz, afraid they would carry misfortune with them.
As Boaz grew, some mothers would not allow their children to play with him, leaving him isolated.
Yet Martha stood firm. She refused to let superstition and stigma shake her faith or her love for her son. “I knew God gave me this child, and I would protect and love him no matter what,” she says.
