After Dad-Of-3 Loses All His Children the Same Day, He Urges Parents to Cuddle Their Kids More | "Every Breath Is a Struggle"

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on September 8, 2021. It has since been updated.

Losing a child is a pain that is all-encompassing and can shatter your heart. Losing all of them at once... shatters your very soul. And that is what happened to this father-of-three, Andrew McGinley, from Dublin, Ireland when he came home to find all his children lying still forever, reported BBC.

As his beloved children in a single hearse carrying three white coffins arrived at the Church of The Holy Family, the devastated father couldn't contain himself. He knew the task ahead of him would not be in any way easy. After all, he had to say his last goodbye to Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, at a time when he should've been dropping them to school and telling them bedtime stories. As their coffins passed by him, he reached out and touched one. It was the closest he was going to get to them.

In an emotional eulogy, the father tearfully said, "We often misuse words. When Ireland would lose a match, I used to say I was heartbroken. I now know what that really means. We, as a family, are heartbroken. It will only be with your help, support and friendship that we will be able to patch our hearts together in some way but we will still be forever heartbroken. Conor, Darragh and Carla. I love you, I love you, I love you."

He also spoke about the things that brought his children joy and thanked those behind it, reported The Sun. He added, "You gave them creativity but most of all you gave us joy together as a family. Please understand that and please continue to bring as much joy as you can to the children of the world. Thank you for Ironman, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hulk and all the rest. Thank you Robert Downey Jnr and thank you Chris Hemsworth for bringing Ironman and Thor to life. My kids absolutely worshipped you both."

"To Mark Ruffalo, Carla loved big friendly Hulk in Avengers Endgame and thanks for your bits of that film that I was able to show her. Thank you to everyone involved in Frozen, special thanks to princesses Ana and Elsa and also to a snowman called Olaf from our princess Carla. Carla my love, I had really hoped that we would be finally building that snowman this year. I’m so sorry. Thank you to whoever invented trampolines. You will never know the fun and enjoyment ours has brought Conor, Darragh and Carla."

But even as he mourns his "cherished" children, he urges parents to do what he wished he could have done so that they wouldn't have to feel the kind of devastation he feels. Talking to Dublin Live, according to The Sun, "Conor, Darragh and Carla are adored. They all had beautiful, bright futures ahead of them with family, friends and a community who love them. To all parents, cuddle your children whenever you get a chance, tell them how much you love them as often as you can, spend every spare minute with them reading, playing and enjoying their wonderfulness. The future has now become our enemy but we will battle it every day to keep the memory of Conor, Darragh and Carla alive.”

Because knowing he's going back to an empty home — “There are no words. There is only devastation, grief and anguish. Every breath is a struggle." And recently, the broken father made his way back to the same place where he found his three, precious children, a feat no parent should ever have to face. But as he returned, he was swarmed with tributes and the warmth of his neighbors at this time, according to Dublin Live. The deaths of his children are still under investigation.

It's stories like these that remind you that no matter how old your children are, it's important to continue loving them in your unique way. Because life is unpredictable and every moment of love counts.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51328681

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10860664/dublin-deaths-funeral-dad-mum/

https://www.thesun.ie/news/5047080/heartbroken-dad-of-three-children-eulogy-funeral-church/

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/dublin-newcastle-dad-children-house-17641811