“It caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting to hear that news at the ultrasound. It reminded me of the loss of my husband, with his loss came blessings. I lost Brady but I was given two newborn babies who are healthy. Most triplets have weeks in intensive care. Not in my case, everybody went home the next day. We have suffered, but we also have been blessed with little miracles.”
Courtney gave birth to Harper and Miles, her two surviving miracles on September 21.
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She says the most difficult thing she’s had to face since the babies were born is explaining Brady, because strangers often ask if the babies are twins.
“People jump to the conclusion that they are twins. I call them surviving triplets. Many people get it, but others don’t. I don’t expect people to know my story, that I had three heartbeats for 26 weeks, but it hurts when I hear ‘twins’ and I know in my heart that they are triplets.”
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Courtney says that her daughter Reagan will sometimes help her explain that Brady passed away.
“She’ll tell them, ‘My brother Brady is in Heaven with my daddy.’ Usually that’s when other people get it. I don’t want Brady to go unrecognized. He will always be my little boy. To call them surviving triplets makes me happy because I know he gets credit he deserves.”
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Since Courtney’s story went viral, the new mom told IJ Review that she has received a lot of hateful backlash about her husband as well as her lost triplet:
“People tell me they are glad the baby died or that they hope Child Protective Services comes to take my family away. Unless you walk mile in my shoes, you have no idea what I’m going through. They don’t see that I’m a healthy, fit mom who takes care of her children. And they don’t know how I’m handling things when I go to sleep at night.”
Despite the hardships and surviving through what many would call the most heartbreaking year imaginable, Courtney is determined to set a good example and do things as a family that always include Daddy.
“They will all know about their dad,” she said. “From military, to family man…he was the true hero. He was an amazing man, always willing to help others. He was just an amazing father and husband. He was perfect.”
Visit Courtney’s GoFundMe page if you’d like to financially support her growing family.