A mom-of-five has passed away just days after giving birth to triplets, and now the Clay Center, Kan., community where she lived is rallying around the family she left behind.
The Lowdown
Just when she thought her triplet pregnancy, birth and subsequent health scare were all behind her, 36-year-old Casi Rott died after suffering a second pulmonary embolism.
The Rotts live 130 miles from the hospital, so Casi had awaited her babies' scheduled C-section births for months at her brother-in-law's Witchita home, which is located closer to the hospital. Upon finally returning home, she had hoped to spend time with her older kids, Chloe, 7, and Tenley, 2.
"Our main thing here was to hold them in as long as she could. We were apart for a while. She was doing great. ... She made it 34 weeks," her heartbroken husband Joey told ABC News.
The triplets were delivered on Jan. 29. A few days later, when Casi was still in the hospital, a blood clot was discovered in her lungs, and it was treated with medication. She was released on Feb. 8., but the triplets—Levi, Asher and Piper—stayed in the hospital while she rushed home to see her two older children.
"It was [the] first time in three months she was back. She said several times it was like she never left home. She was just dying to see [the kids]," Joey said.
But their time together lasted all of five minutes. Casi began experiencing chest pains again; there was another blot clot. According to the New York Daily News, the new mom-of-five died while Joey raced her back to the hospital.
Now Joey is left with five children to raise alone. But he says, "The community has been incredible." In fact, with the help of a family friend who also has triplets, a GoFundMe page has raised over $84,000. Joey has also started a Facebook page called Casi's Triplets to share updates on the babies and in loving memory of their mother.
The Upshot
It's impossible to imagine what this family is going through; raising triplets as a couple is a huge challenge, but now this father is on his own. My heart aches for the babies, who will never know their mother, and for the mom, who isn't there to care for and cuddle the little people she grew inside her own body.
I'm truly shattered over this story. Here's hoping the support of the Rotts' community and the love and prayers coming from around the world will comfort them during this deeply painful time.
Source http://www.parenting.com/
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