Madison Gardner dreamed of starting a family with her husband. After several years working in the corporate world, their lives, like so many others, were disrupted by the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020. When Madison was laid off from her job in August of that year, she took it as a sign. Maybe this was her moment to become a mom.
By November, hope filled their hearts when a pregnancy test came back positive.
“We were so excited we told our family because they knew we were trying all year. We had professional photos taken for the pregnancy announcement, planning, and everything. I was going to announce it on Christmas day,” said Gardner.
But everything changed just before the holiday, during a routine check-up on Christmas Eve. Madison still remembers the look on the doctor’s face and the words that shattered her world: “This isn’t good.” Madison learned she wasn’t just carrying one baby but twins—and neither had a heartbeat. At ten weeks, her babies were measuring at nine, and her body had given no sign that anything was wrong. She had felt all the symptoms of pregnancy and was blindsided by the news.
Facing Loss
The devastation was immeasurable. Madison had to make the difficult call to her husband while grappling with the shock herself.
“I can still, unfortunately, remember every single detail of that day. I remember, literally, I felt like my soul left my body.”
However, amidst the heartache, she found comfort in knowing they had shared their pregnancy news with loved ones, who rallied around them with meals, prayers, and support. Still, her journey was far from over.
Madison had to undergo a D&C—a procedure made even more isolating by the pandemic restrictions that kept her husband from being by her side. The experience was traumatic. When she left the hospital, all she was given was an outdated, barely legible pamphlet full of information that felt irrelevant. This little pamphlet was not enough to explain the depth of her pain.
Finding Healing in Community
In the aftermath of her loss, not having a job to return to became a blessing. Madison could grieve and heal on her own terms without the pressure of jumping back into the corporate world. However, God had different plans for her. Madison was given opportunities to connect with her local Pregnancy Health Clinic three times in one week. She felt the Lord nudging her to step forward.
Initially, she approached the clinic just wanting to serve or volunteer. But in a meeting with the CEO, she learned that the Board of Directors had recently approved a marketing position—the very field Madison had worked in. What started as a volunteer opportunity turned into a part-time job, and in that space, Madison found deep healing. Surrounded by a community of women who encouraged her and prayed for her throughout her fertility journey, she began to feel whole again.
One day, while working at the Pregnancy Health Clinic, she heard a heartbreaking, familiar sound. “I heard a scream one day and immediately knew what it was. It was an ultrasound with no heartbeat,” said Madison.
The pain of her own loss came rushing back, and Madison approached the CEO of the Pregnancy Health Clinic to ask, “What do we have for these women?” The answer—a simple booklet—did not sit right with her. That moment sparked the idea for In His Hands, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women who have experienced early pregnancy loss.
A Mission of Compassion
Madison’s personal experience revealed a gaping hole in the resources available to women who lose a baby before 14 weeks. While the world often focuses on later-term pregnancy loss, Madison felt that miscarriage—no matter how early—was still a profound loss that deserved validation and care.
“Yes, we had a great support system, but no one really walked this. No one knew a specific way to minister to us,” Madison recalled of her experience with pregnancy loss. “I wanted In His Hands to be that for the mom who experienced the loss and for the person who wants to help someone walk through that but has no idea how. “
She knew that women needed more than a pamphlet; they needed real, tangible support.
The In His Hands Memorial Gift Box
So, In His Hands was born with the mission to provide a bank of resources for women who experience early pregnancy loss. From grief counseling to support groups and curated literature, In His Hands ensures that no woman has to navigate the pain of miscarriage alone. The nonprofit offers women a connection point—a way to feel seen, heard, and comforted.
“I want them to know that no matter if they’re four weeks pregnant or 40 weeks pregnant, their grief or loss is 100% valid.”
One of the core components of In His Hands is the Memorial Gift Box, inspired by Madison’s own experience. After losing her twins, Madison created a box to hold the memories she had started to gather—the ultrasound, professional photos, an ornament, and a journal she wrote to her babies.
As she stood in the store, picking out a box for her twins, Madison recalled, “I felt like I was picking out a casket.” It was a moment she knew no one should face alone. Now, through In His Hands, she helps women create healing boxes of their own, offering them a way to honor their babies and keep a piece of them close.
Madison’s Story Wasn’t Over…
Madison and her husband ended up becoming pregnant again and had their beautiful daughter on December 26, 2022, almost exactly one year after losing their twins.
Pregnancy Loss and the Life-Affirming Movement
Madison’s story highlights a profound truth: the value of life from conception.
When speaking on the connection between pregnancy loss and the life-affirming movement, Madison adds, “The only difference in losing a baby naturally or by force is the want. One is wanted, and one is not. Everyone is so quick to send condolences for their loss, but if it wasn’t wanted, then it wasn’t a baby?”
Whether a baby is lost naturally through miscarriage or intentionally through abortion, the grief felt by mothers is real. Miscarriage underscores the truth that life begins at conception, and Madison hopes her story will help affirm the value of all life, no matter how short.
Visit and support Madison’s work with In His Hands here.
Save the Storks’ Innovator’s Summit
Madison’s passion for helping others led her to apply for Save the Storks’ Innovator’s Summit. Madison Gardner and her co-founder Jayda Fischer were one of our 2024 Innovators Summit winners!
The Innovator’s Summit is a three-day conference where participants get practical applications of the principles they have been working on in the Innovators Pre-Summit Program. The weekend ends with a Shark Tank-like pitch session where each participant presents their non-profit concept to a Review Board. One attendee is then selected to receive a $10,000 grant to start their organization and a partnership with Save the Storks.
Do you have an idea for a life-affirming non-profit that you believe in?
Learn more about Save the Storks’ Innovator’s Summit. Applications open soon!
Donate to Save the Storks and help empower more women to choose life!
