When life falls apart, it can be difficult to see how things could ever be good again. But somewhere in all that sorrow, light has a way of shining through.
Courtney Hill experienced that firsthand when her husband Bryan was suddenly taken from her and her family.
Bryan was a career soldier in the US Army and served in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Over the years, he put himself in many dangerous situations, but he always came home unharmed.
When Bryan retired from the Army, he and Courtney looked forward to a much more relaxed and happy future.
But what they didn’t know was that disaster was lurking around the corner.
In February 2016, Bryan died in a tragic car crash. Courtney not only lost her beloved husband, her daughter Reagan also had to say farewell to her wonderful daddy.
Soon, Courtney was completely busy preparing for the wake. Then in the middle of everything, she got some surprising news: she was pregnant.
During the wake, Courtney held Bryan’s hand and whispered in his ear, “Sweetheart, you’re going to be a dad again.”
The months passed and Courtney worked through her sorrow. She tried, as much as she could, to adapt to a new everyday life.
Unfortunately, things became difficult when Courtney started suffering from severe abdominal pain. Fearing a miscarriage, she went to her doctor.
And that’s when Courtney got some more news that turned her world upside down.
The doctors could see two boys and one girl in the ultrasound!
“My jaw dropped. But I was excited to have three more smiles that remind me of him,” she told CBS Chicago.
Unfortunately, there are many risks of having triplets, and when Courtney had another ultrasound, she received some horrible news.
One of the babies, Brady, no longer had a heartbeat.
The other two babies, Miles and Harper, were born healthy.
Together with her daughter, Reagan, Miles and Harper are Courtney’s pride and joy. She looks forward to raising her children, because she knows how proud Bryan would be of his children.
People usually ask her if Miles and Harper are twins, but Courtney says no.
“I call them surviving triplets,” she says proudly.
Of course Courtney misses her husband and her lost baby, but she finds strength in raising her family.
Bryan was a fighter, a strong man, and loving. She’s happy every day she’s with her children, because their dad never got the chance to see them grow up.
Because Courtney has experienced with her own eyes how fragile happiness can be, she’s learned to appreciate every day with her little darlings.
Her family hasn’t had an easy time, but thanks to the support of friends and family, Courtney is looking forward to the future.
