Just hours after welcoming a baby girl, Frederick Connie is now mourning the loss of his wife and the child's mother, Keyvonne Connie, who passed away during childbirth.
Since news broke of Keyvonne's death, members of the couple's Denver-area community are rallying in support of the family, raising almost $29,000 on Facebook for hospital bills and basic infant necessities. Another couple who said they were in Connie's position nearly 38 years ago is stepping up hugely, according to FOX31.
LeQuita Taylor and her husband, Michael Taylor Sr., own and operate a funeral home in Aurora and generously offered to host the funeral services at no cost to Frederick.
"Being a mother, it really moved me because 38 years ago when I had my son, I had preeclampsia and toxemia. I was in labor for three days. I almost died as well as my son," LeQuita Taylor said to FOX31.
Being in the funeral industry for 16 years, the Taylors understand firsthand the difficulties some face planning a funeral for their family members, especially in cases where the mother and child both lose their lives following labor and delivery.
"We've had mothers where we've buried the baby with the mother. The baby didn't make it either. So it has not stopped," LeQuita continued. "Even with all the high tech and everything mothers are still leaving a lot of their babies."
Per Mayo Clinic, preeclampsia and toxemia is a "pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys."
The complication recently caught national attention when Beyoncé and Serena Williams opened up about their issues during childbirth, both mentioning the hardships they faced while welcoming their children.
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