Hakeem Adeniji is grieving the loss of his boy.
On Monday, November 4, the 26-year-old Cleveland Browns player shared a heartbreaking video on Instagram as he announced the birth of his and wife Kayla’s stillborn first baby, son Semiu Zada Adeni. In a candid Instagram Reel, the NFL star broke down in tears as he explained that six days before their son’s due date, the couple discovered on ultrasound that there was no heartbeat.
It was the worst moment in my life, he told Adeniji. – Everyone who knows me knows how much I wanted to be a dad.
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On Monday, November 11, Hakeem shared a carousel of pictures of the family of three from the moment they held their son. In one of the photos, the NFL player is holding baby Semia in the hospital room. He also included a lengthy message written on the football star’s notes app.
“It’s been a little over a week since we lost our boy. There’s been anger, sadness and emptiness. The fact that he’s gone is here and nothing can change that,” he shared. “I will never be able to see him grow up and he will never be able to read his diary that I wrote for him. I miss him and will miss him every day for the rest of my life.”
He later wrote in a message: “This is going to be hard but that’s life. It always has been and probably always will be. We appreciate all the prayers, support and well wishes from everyone, it’s greatly appreciated. I still want to be a dad more than anything in this world, and he gave it to me even though it was short lived. When and if ever again I will not take a day for granted.”
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Kayla posted additional hospital photos of the family on her Instagram, sharing her emotional thoughts in the caption.
“We lost our son. We had to say goodbye to the most perfect, beautiful boy I have ever seen. We will never be the same and we will never forget him,” she wrote. “He had a head of curls and a daddy’s nose. The softest cheeks and big hands. He’ll always be my son and I’ll always be his mom.”
“He’s gotten us through so much this year and stayed so strong for us for so long. I’ll always remember holding him and smelling him. He was just perfect. Oh, my sweet boy, Mom and Dad will always smile when we think on you, I promise, watch over us my angel 🪽”
She added that her baby boy was born on November 2nd, weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz and 21 inches, and was due on November 7th.
A few days later, Kayla posted a video of herself holding Semia for the first time. “The moment I held him for the first time ❤️ I couldn’t believe how beautiful he was,” she shared. “I’ve dreamed of seeing his face for so long. I’ve dreamed of this moment for years. I felt like he was dozing in my arms, he looked so peaceful.”
“Today, November 7th at 7:30am we were scheduled to report to the hospital for our scheduled induction. We decided to use this day to honor our little boy and create our new family traditions,” she continued. “The Lion King was Hakeem’s favorite movie and he always talked about how he couldn’t wait to watch it with our son. So we’re going to do just that and remember our brave boy.”
“Son, I love you until I can hold your hand again.”
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Source: HIS Education