Eight years after her Olympic debut in Beijing, Team USA gymnast Shawn Johnson stole America’s hearts once again with an I Am Second testimony that proved her passion for Jesus far outweighs her pursuit of gold medals.
Since the release of her emotional testimony, Shawn and her husband, Andrew East, have continued to chronicle their relatable journey of faith, marriage and inevitable hardship on their YouTube channel.
Instagram
While the adorable couple is known for posting fun-loving recaps of their wedding and ‘new house’ tours, the video they released this weekend was certainly on the heavier side—but nonetheless something they felt needed to be shared.
“Today’s video is a little bit sensitive,” Shawn says in opening her raw confession. “It’s not the happiest video but we feel like a lot of people go through this so we wanted to share it.”
Appropriately titled “pregnancy + heartbreak,” the video is a 20-minute journey through the 48-hour whirlwind that took the couple from crying tears of joy to tears of unimaginable grief.
“The past 48 hours have been some of the happiest, scariest and saddest times of my life,” Shawn wrote in the caption. “My husband Andrew and I found out that we were unexpectedly pregnant, only to find out hours later some tragic news. I have been crying more than I ever have, but am still optimistic for what is next.”
While it was a painful experience to recount, Shawn and Andrew say that knowing they are not alone in this has helped heal their broken hearts, and they pray that sharing their story will offer a sense of comfort to the 1 in 4 who deal with the taboo topic of miscarriage.
“This is by far the hardest video we’ve ever posted but we felt as though it was a story that needed to be shared as so many struggle with the same thing,” Shawn wrote on Instagram. “@andrewdeast I love you more than anything in this world and I know you are going to make the greatest Daddy in the world someday. Thank you for being my rock through all of this.”
