By Katie Vasquez and Jessica Meditz
FLATBUSH — Three years ago, Crystal was struggling with her stroller in a crowded hallway when Francesca Yellico noticed her. It was a busy day at The Bridge to Life, the Queens-based pregnancy help center for mothers and children to come for life-affirming support, where Yellico serves as executive director.
As they spoke, Crystal — a single mother who prefers being identified only by her first name — discovered her car had been towed. That unexpected frustration led to something more vulnerable: Crystal opened up about a past pregnancy, and Yellico listened.
What started as a moment of kindness between strangers quickly blossomed into a close friendship — a bond that would deepen with one life-changing phone call two years later.
“I was in the middle of Times Square with my family, and all of a sudden my phone rings and it’s Crystal. I answered because I knew something was up,” Yellico said. “She just found out she’s pregnant with her fifth child, and she doesn’t know what to do. She’s just totally overwhelmed, afraid, in a bad place, and was really just having a hard time.”
Crystal had thoughts about terminating the pregnancy. But it was during that conversation when Yellico told her, “God must think something pretty special about you, because of all the people in the whole wide world, he chose you to be this baby’s mother.”
On May 21, Crystal gave birth to a baby boy and named him Chosyn. Yellico’s words to Crystal during that phone call are part of what inspired the name.
“I chose the name Chosyn because during the eight-week time when I wasn’t telling anybody [about the pregnancy], God was making it known in my head that [Chosyn] was his decision,” Crystal said. “I can’t go to God and tell him I can’t do things when he’s already shown me what he can do. And then Francesca confirmed, because you chose to be his mother, he chose to be your child…it couldn’t have been more solid.”
After being set on naming the baby Chosyn, Crystal said she felt like it was confirmation from God that she had picked the right name. From seeing the name on a TV show to a one-off baby name idea from her niece, she knew that the name was meant for her son.
Throughout her pregnancy, Crystal continued to receive support from The Bridge to Life, which gave her the necessary items to raise children, as well as emotional support. Yellico even threw Crystal a baby shower.
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Crystal and Yellico’s bond continued to grow stronger, and despite already calling one another “sis,” the duo became even more like family.
Months later, during one of their weekly calls, Crystal asked to meet in person for lunch at an Italian restaurant. As the waiter talked about the specials, Crystal asked, ‘Do you have any cannolis?’ ”
“I was like, ‘All right, whatever. She’s pregnant. Maybe she’s craving a cannoli,’ ” Yellico said. “All of a sudden, the waiter comes and he puts this whole tray of cannolis with this box in front of me…I opened the box, and inside is this little onesie that said ‘Zia and Zio [aunt and uncle], even though I’m just a baby cannoli, will you be my Madrina and Padrino [godmother and godfather]?’ ”
“I was in awe that I was chosen to be the godmother of this little baby,” Yellico added.
Crystal also asked Yellico to be in the delivery room when Chosyn was born. She cut his umbilical cord.
“Francesca told me something I already knew I could do. God used her to confirm everything that she saw in me that was already there, that I was trying to convince myself didn’t exist,” Crystal said. “She speaks to me and other women from the knowledge that she has, being a mother herself. She knows that it’s going to be hard, but she knows that it’s possible.”
Now 34, Crystal lives in Flatbush with her five children, and describes the support she’s received from Yellico and The Bridge to Life as “extraordinary.”
“I get so much help with five children, it’s beyond me. It takes a village, and I have a solid one,” she said. “The fact that I can call Francesca, if I’m having a good or bad day, and get some type of encouragement or guidance on what to do, even if she doesn’t know, she’ll listen. Everybody at The Bridge is honestly a joy to be around.”
Crystal said she feels empowered to share her story and also help other women who might be struggling, including another young mother she recently met at the local laundromat, who expressed she was in need of newborn baby items.
“Crystal is an inspiration, and that is contagious — the ripple effect gives others the strength and encouragement to keep going,” Yellico said. “I knew she was going to get through this with flying colors, despite any obstacles. She lives her faith.”