Tim Tebow's mom speaks at Spartanburg fundraiser - Spartanburg Herald Journal

Ken Finley, takes a photo of Pam Tebow, mother of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, with Beth Vanderford of Moore, right, Tuesday during the Carolina Pregnancy Center annual banquet held at the Spartanburg Expo Center. Pam Tebow was the featured keynote speaker at the event.

Buy Photo MICHAEL JUSTUS/michael.justus@shj.com

Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 12:28 a.m.

Pam Tebow, mother of professional football player Tim Tebow, spoke at the Spartanburg Expo Center Tuesday night to a group of more than 1,750 people attending a fundraiser for the Carolina Pregnancy Center.

She shared the story of how she and her husband went against doctor's orders and chose not to abort their now-famous son, Tim, a quarterback for the New York Giants.

“Twenty-four years ago, a doctor told me that if I didn't have an abortion, I could die,” she said, as the keynote speaker at the banquet. “But me and my husband trusted in God and went against the doctor. God spared the life of me and my son.”

The attendees, spread out across 174 tables, doubled the total from last year. The money raised benefits the Carolina Pregnancy Center, a nonprofit ministry that provides compassion, information and support to anyone facing the challenge of unintended pregnancy.

It also is an anti-abortion organization, and Tebow's message and story resonated among the like-minded crowd.

Alexia Newman, director of the Carolina Pregnancy Center, said the response for the event was overwhelming.

“This is the most full tables we have ever had,” she said. “The event not only raises money for the ministry, but it also raises awareness for what we do.”

As a missionary, Tebow travels around the country sharing what she described throughout the evening as a “God story.”

“The story of our youngest son, Tim, is a God story,” she said.

Tracie Altman, CPC's chairman of the board, said it's a lesson that we can all learn from.

“For Pam to go through what she did medically with Tim â€" it's a lesson that shows that you never know what your baby will be like. It's important to know that your baby is in God's hands, even in tough times,” Altman said.

The Carolina Pregnancy Center saw 1,556 different clients in 2011; they performed 1,324 pregnancy tests and 29 ultrasounds, according to statistics in the fundraiser program.

“We are an organization that helps girls through the troubles they are having and to keep them close to Christ and to let them know that there are people who love them and care for them,” Altman said. “We do so many different things to help these young girls.”

Tebow said that after she and her son appeared in a 2010 anti-abortion Super Bowl commercial, 5.5 million people rethought their stand on abortion.

“God is into saving mothers and babies,” she said, “We just have to trust him.”