New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai and his partner have revealed the recent loss of their unborn daughter in an emotional Instagram post.
‘This is my testimony,’ Tavai’s partner, Kalei Mau, captioned the first slide of Wednesday’s post. ‘This is not the way I wanted to announce my 2nd pregnancy but I was 6 months pregnant with another beautiful baby girl.’
The couple had settled on the name Ka ua, meaning ‘rain’ in Hawaiian, and were expecting to her arrive in March. But, as Mau explained, she suffered an ‘an extremely rare blood infection’ and was placed into an induced coma in November 20.
‘Unfortunately, with my organs failing and the sickness infecting my placenta, our baby passed away in my womb,’ said Mau, who was unconscious for six days.
‘Hours later, my body went into natural labor and Jahlani watched me deliver our baby unconscious. He said it was like my body just knew what to do.’
Mau, who has an older daughter with Jahlani, managed to remain positive despite the tragic news.
Tavai’s partner, Kalei Mau, suffered a rare blood infection that took the life of her unborn child
Mau (left) and partner Jahlani Tavai are seen with their older daughter after the miscarriage
Mau is a volleyball star who played at Arizona. She also takes business classes at Harvard
‘By the grace of GOD and the power of PRAYER I woke up and it was clear what I had to continue to live for,’ she wrote alongside a photo of herself kissing her older daughter from her hospital bed. ‘Thank you Jesus!’
With a following slide, Mau shared a photo of herself kissing Ka ua.
‘The day after I got out the hospital I got to kiss my daughter for the first and last time,’ she continued. ‘She was perfect to me, it was so hard to leave her. But when I walked outside it started to rain and it brought me joy to know she’ll always be with me.’
Mau included a video message to her supporters, who have flooded social media with prayers for her and her family: ‘I’m so happy. I couldn’t be happier. My heart is so full of gratitude. God is so good… The healing journey starts now. I love you all.’
She also added a written message thanking her ‘New England Patriots family’ as well as the ‘incredible doctors & loving nurses at Mass General hospital that help save my life.’
Tavai and Mau are pictured with their daughter and ultrasound images of unborn Ka ua
Tavai recently missed the Patriots’ Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals due to what was described at the time as ‘personal reasons.’
He has since returned to the team and played in the Week 13 win over the New York Giants.
The 29-year-old California native played college football at the University of Hawaii, in Mau’s native state. She actually remains a professional volleyball player and has played for Team Philippines in international competition.
She’s also been taking classes at nearby Harvard Business School since 2023.