Tragedy struck Around the Horn host Tony Reali last week when the 39-year-old and his wife, Samiya, lost one of the two twins they were expecting in the moments leading up to childbirth. Tony and his wife delivered his new son, Enzo, last week in an emergency surgery and, according to an emotional Instagram post by Reali, is now home “happy, healthy and strong.”
His other son, Amadeo, did not survive the delivery.
Reali returned to Around the Horn on Monday and at the end of the show, Israel Gutierrez ceded his FaceTime to Reali, who delivered a powerful message about the duality of grief and joy and the importance of giving voice to our feelings. Check it out below:
Today we welcomed @tonyreali back to the show! In FaceTime he shared his feelings about his recent loss, his recent addition, and how he's getting through it all. pic.twitter.com/myaoby0kzO
— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) June 18, 2018
His words, transcribed:
“The notes and the condolences my wife, Samiya, and I have received have gone right into our soul, and I wanted to say that. Talking about the duality of losing a child near childbirth and then delivering another healthy one is impossible. I was talking about this yesterday on Twitter. How can you ever be whole again? Parents have had to go through this before. I’m going through this now.
“And I spent time pledging that it’s OK not to be OK. And for me, the recognition that I’ve come to is that life can be out of our control. And that’s OK. It’s how we respond and what we do — that’s what we have control over. So, here’s where I am today. Grief is part of humanity. Grief is proof of humanity. Parents dealing with loss or anybody dealing with loss, meet yourself where you are. Give voice to your feelings. Young men, young women watching, this can be how you grieve. Don’t bury your heart — keep it on the outside and look to other people. Because humanity can lift us. That has been my experience.
“But I need to say this now. More duality, if I’m brutally honest. Today my thoughts are with children in cages. That’s parents experiencing loss too. Humanity needs to be better. Amadeo, I’ll love you forever. You’re named for God’s love. May we all be craving it. May we all be giving it to each other. May we all be compassionate enough to give it to all.”
Below is Reali’s Father’s Day message he posted on Instagram a day before returning to the show.
If I wasn’t surrounded by strangers at this coffee shop, it would be a lot easier to cry.
[h/t For the Win]