Sonya, 39, and Spencer, were married for eight years and were parents to 10 boys from their previous marriages.
A family without a mom is like a book without its spine. Women cherish their kids and spouse and take care of their needs. For Spencer Harlow, a father of many kids, raising his brood without his wife is going to be a hard journey in the coming years, but she will live in his memories forever. Sonya, 39, and Spencer, were married for eight years and were parents to 10 boys, some of whom were from their previous marriages.
"She didn’t consider any of them stepchildren… They were her kids and she loved them with all she had," her best friend said about Sonya on a GoFundMe page.
The couple wanted a little girl to complete their family and they found that joy recently. Unfortunately, their happiness didn't last long as Sonya passed away only 11 days after childbirth. Sonya had prayed for a little girl for years before her prayers were answered. On November 5, she finally held her little girl Eliyanah. Their little angel was given that name since it meant "God has answered," according to The Bluebonnet News.
"She had all boys before this and she prayed for a girl," Spencer told The Bluebonnet News. "We named our daughter Eliyanah and she is God's answer to our prayers."
The couple from Livingston, Texas, was giddily happy about their baby girl until Spencer woke up around 2 am one night to find his wife, who was lying next to him with their daughter on her chest, making sounds of distress. "I rolled over and could see she was dying. We did CPR on her until the paramedics arrived, but she had flatlined by then. It was too late," he said. He thinks that his wife passed away due to a postpartum-related medical emergency.
The 39-year-old woman had health complications like high blood pressure and other issues, because of which she wasn't able to work. She was an admissions director in the healthcare industry and stayed home several months before her due date. Meanwhile, her husband is a disabled veteran who served in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He is the only earning member of the Livingston-based family now that Sonya is gone.
"Sonya was such a good mother and wife," he said. "She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. She was so vibrant and full of life. She was loving, kind, and caring."
To help the family with funeral costs and childcare, Sonya's best friend of 17 years, Nancy Leger Davie, set up a GoFundMe page. She too is devastated without her best pal. "I don't know how I'm going to live my life without her," Nancy told The Bluebonnet News. "She's been such a huge part of my life."
On the fundraising page, Nancy said that Spencer had been supporting his family all alone. "Since this was so unexpected, there’s no life insurance or money set aside. Any money raised will be used towards funeral expenses/headstone. And if there’s anything left over It will be used to care for her children. If you ever met Sonya, you would know that she was one of the most caring, loving, godly, and giving people you would ever meet," she added. They have been able to raise more than $40 thousand so far.
References:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/sonya-harlows-funeral-expenses
https://bluebonnetnews.com/2020/11/17/mom-dies-just-days-after-giving-birth/
