Geelong AFL star Gary Rohan has opened up about the pain of losing a child, memories that recently resurfaced after his wife Madi suffered a miscarriage.
Rohan and Madi are currently expecting their first child together, their ‘rainbow baby’, after deciding to try again following the miscarriage.
The Cats star already has two children, both with his ex-wife Amie. However, he revealed that they had lost his third daughter, Willow Nevaeh, who died just five hours after being born.
Willow’s heartbreaking death was the result of a fatal neural tube defect with no cure known as anencephaly.
So when Rohan and his current wife Madi had to go through the pain of a miscarriage last year, it brought up all the old pain the Geelong star had gone through with Willow.
“I lost a child with my last partner, so obviously this brought back a lot of memories,” she said. news corporation.
‘Willow, he had anencephaly where part of the skull doesn’t fit. We knew she would have no life after her birth.
“We spent five incredible hours with Willow before she grew her wings and left.”
Rohan was on top of the world, having won the AFL premiership and expecting a child with his wife Madi, but the couple would soon receive the heartbreaking news.
Madi is proud to show her belly with the couple, overcoming the anguish of the miscarriage to announce her new pregnancy.
The couple shared a scan of their son on Instagram and said they were excited to meet their ‘rainbow baby’.
That left Rohan and Madi with a big decision and they decided to try again to have their first child together.
In mid-2023, the Cats star proudly announced on Instagram that they were ‘Grow’n a Rohan’.
“Our rainbow baby is on the way,” the post read.
‘What seemed like the longest journey to hear your heartbeat was worth every second to have you soon in our arms.
‘We are very excited to be your mom and dad.
‘We want to take a moment to acknowledge those who view this post with a broken heart. A feeling Mads and I know very well.
“When it seems like the whole world is getting pregnant and you’re suffering unimaginable pain after losing yours, it’s the hardest post to watch.
‘We just want to tell everyone who knows this feeling, or is feeling it now, to know that you are not alone. We hear you, we see you, we feel you. Mads and I are with you, we are 1 in 4.’
Rohan said the miscarriage had been a double whammy as it brought back memories of losing her daughter Willow to a rare medical condition.
Madi also spoke about the heartbreak of miscarriage and the decision to move on and become a family.
“We didn’t want to tell too many people before because we didn’t know how to word things if something went wrong again,” he said.
‘We had many friends who were struggling to conceive and we are very aware of this.
“It was a big decision for us and we wanted to make sure it wasn’t counted before we could tell it, which was a risk because of Gary’s higher profile.
“We tried to advertise it in a way that took into account those who are struggling.”
“I don’t blame myself for the miscarriage, it is what it is, but the second time you are much more aware of the advice that is out there,” she said.
“We really wanted a family, and it’s something we wanted as soon as possible, but now you’re very aware of what could go wrong.
“If something had happened again, I probably would have blamed myself more, but I think, our lucky stars, everything seems to be fine.”