A tragic Instagram post this week from Emma Kelly, wife of Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly, revealed the loss of the couple’s unborn baby, Mary Katherine.
The heartbreaking death has left the couple confused and struggling, but Emma wrote that their “faith is unshaken” amid the unthinkable.
“I don’t think we’ll ever understand why God decided to call her home when he did but our faith is unshaken,” Kelly wrote. “He knows better than we [and] she was needed back home, in Heaven.”
Kelly explained that she lost Mary Katherine last week when she was 19 weeks along in her pregnancy, just one-week shy of her halfway point. She said doctors are unsure why the baby’s heart stopped.
Noting that women only have a 1% chance of losing a baby at this point in pregnancy, she said “somehow, here we are,” and proceeded to offer a vulnerable reflection on the tragic ordeal.
MKK 12/17/2021 🦋 pic.twitter.com/sKJ1Rwj5fJ
— Ryan Kelly (@ryan_kelly70) December 20, 2021
“One of our Angel nurses, Kalyn, told us this would be the hardest thing we’ll ever do in our life, and I pray to God she’s right. Because this feels worse than hard, it feels so evil and cruel,” Kelly wrote. “The pain and brokenness is so unbearable for Ryan and I … don’t even know where to begin.”
Kelly shared that she had “no other choice” but to deliver Mary Katherine; she went through 24 hours of labor and was “angry” at first, but said it ended up being a blessing, as she and Ryan were able to hold their baby before saying goodbye.
“I’m forever grateful we had some time, earth-side, with the little girl who made us mom and dad,” Kelly wrote. “She was tiny, perfect and incredibly loved from everyone who knew she existed.”
Ryan Kelly also spoke out on Twitter and Instagram, writing a letter directly to his daughter and sharing his eternal love for her.
“You were simply a miracle and always will be,” he said. “I’m sorry you never got to open those sweet eyes and see us or take your first steps but you have angel wings now.”
He continued, “I’ll forever wonder who you’d be today. Until we meet again my sweet girl, I love you.”
Emma Kelly thanked everyone who is supporting the couple. Please be sure to keep Ryan and Emma in your prayers this week as they navigate the difficult and oft-times choppy waters of loss.
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