On November 30, 2018, Frederick Connie found his wife, Keyvonne, bleeding in their home in Littleton, Colorado. The woman was pregnant with their first daughter, and several weeks still remained before the birth.
The couple was rushed to the hospital. There, the doctors explained to Frederick that the situation was extremely serious and that they had to act quickly. According to what he later recounted, they presented him with two possibilities: operate on Keyvonne first, with the possibility of saving her but losing the baby, or perform an emergency C-section to try to save the girl, although that could put his wife’s life at risk.
Frederick chose to try to save his daughter.
The baby, Angelique Keyvonne Connie, was born that same day. However, her mother’s condition continued to worsen. “They tried, but her heart couldn’t withstand it. She died before they could take her into surgery”, Frederick later recounted.
The girl remained hospitalized for several weeks and received donated breast milk. Meanwhile, her father had to face his wife’s funeral and prepare to raise his daughter alone.
Frederick also decided to preserve Keyvonne’s memory in the girl’s name. “I gave her her mother’s name. She is going to know her mother. I’ll make sure of that”, he explained.
Years later, Frederick continued to stand by the decision he made that day. “I’m glad I made that decision”, he said. As he explained, he knew how much her children meant to Keyvonne and believed that she would have wanted her daughter to have the chance to live.