Five years ago, Abigail Hill’s life changed forever. It wasn’t for the good or for the bad, but it would never be the same. Senior Tommy Hill found out his 19-year-old sister was pregnant. She was supposed to leave for Johnson and Wales Culinary School in Norfolk, Va. one week later. 

Abigail was in disbelief when the test was positive. All she could do was cry. She turned to her sister but decided to wait to tell her parents. About two months into the pregnancy, her mother figured it out before Abigail got the chance to tell her.

“(My parents and I) sat down, and I told them I was not going to be able to go to school,” Abigail said. “They were definitely upset and disappointed.”

“Abby was really excited about going to school, but she had to wait so (her daughter) could enroll in daycare,” Tommy said. “She was really upset at first but she learned to get over it because she had a new part in her life.”

Abigail had been dating 29-year-old Jonathon Dietz for a short period of time, and was not expecting to have a long term relationship with him.  

“He was shocked and unsure (when he found out). It took him about a week (to accept it) and figure out what he was going to do,” Abigail said.

Abigail and Jonathan decided they were not going to get married, but that they would stick together throughout the pregnancy and the child’s life.

“He was supportive during the entire pregnancy,” Abigail said. “We even went to birthing classes together.”

They made a plan about what to do after the baby was born and stuck to it. They decided to share custody and help each other throughout the child’s life. They never made legal arrangements or set anything in stone.

“We didn’t think it was necessary. We were both adults and could make the decision ourselves,” Abigail said. “We wanted to do what was in the best interest of (the baby).”

Abigail’s daughter, Haley Dietz, is now five years old and goes to Heron Pond Montessori School in Southern Shores. Her parents stayed true to their word and have worked out a schedule that works for both them and Haley.

“We keep it flexible. If he wants her for an extra day or can’t get her one day I work it out, and vice versa. We are willing to bend and are not selfish; it’s not about (us),” Abigail said.

At first a struggle for Abigail was accepting the fact she was pregnant, but would still need to work. She would have to support another person and be responsible for someone other than herself.

After the initial shock her parents were willing to help. Following Haley’s birth, Tommy saw and felt the affects first hand.

“It was like having my own kid. She’s around all the time and she lived with us for two to three years,” Tommy said.

He noticed changes in his sister over the years after Haley was born. 

 “It made her stressed all the time,” he said. “She was trying to go to school, work and raise a child. She didn’t have a life other than Haley.”

Abigail got her own house in Kill Devil Hills a few months ago and her life is starting to settle down, but she always puts Haley first. She had to put college on hold but knew from the beginning she would go back.

Abigail is currently enrolled in J&W Culinary School. She had to put school off for five years but she did it. She stayed focused and kept her goal of a college degree in mind.

She is commuting to her school in Virginia and working 35 hour weeks, but at the end of the day she said she loves to just hang out with her daughter. Haley is starting to notice things that people look over as they age.

“She’s doing things I forgot about, and noticing the little things (in life). She stopped to look at a flower the other day, it’s the first time for her and she was fascinated,” she said.  

Abagail is graduating from college on June 5, and Haley is graduating from preschool the day before.

 “We grew up together,” Abigail said. “I think it was the best way to do it.”