Joey and Casi Rott, along with their two daughters, eagerly awaited the arrival of the triplets inside of Mom's belly for many months.
Casi had said that carrying those babies was the hardest thing she'd ever done. It put a lot of strain on her body and mind. However, giving birth to the babies proved to take a toll on her body as well.
She had a cesarean section performed just a bit prematurely. She and the babies were kept in the hospital to be sure that all were well. A few days later, doctors told Casi that she was healthy enough to go home. However, later that day, she started to feel pains in her chest.
Doctors discovered a large blood clot in her lungs, a result of the intense pregnancy and C-section procedure. They put her on blood thinners, and soon she was able to go home while the tiny triplets stayed at the hospital for a bit longer.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Casi felt more pains, and Joey immediately rushed her to the hospital. But, unfortunately, she didn't make it.
Casi Rott made it through her pregnancy like a real trooper. At 34 weeks, she wore a huge smile on her face despite the strain that the pregnancy was putting on her whole body and mind. She was so looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel, when her three little angels would finally be in her arms.
Tenley and Chole were both so excited to welcome their three little siblings to their already happy family, too. You can tell what good big sisters they're going to be, before the babies were even born. Both Joey and Casi were so proud of these older sisters-to-be already.
After a slightly premature cesarean section birth, Casi was able to hold all three of her babies all at once for one single instance. She asked that her face not be pictured as she'd been crying tears of joy for such a long time. It was one of the happiest moments in her life, holding her three sweet, healthy babies that she carried for so many months.
Then, soon after she finally made it home to her family, she felt another pain in her chest. Joey rushed her back to the hospital as fast as he could, but Casi didn't make it.
Now, big sister Chloe holds the sweet, wide-eyed babies while wearing a huge smile, much like her mother before she gave birth. Of course, this 6-year-old girl misses her mom, but these three babies are still a blessing to this family. Joey, Chloe, Tenley, Asher, Levi, and Piper still have so much love to share with each other.
Rott and his children are now left with a gaping hole in their family. While he is grateful for the health of all five of his children, he misses his wife dearly. It's not going to be easy to move on after this tragedy, but he and his family are strong.
After Rott posted the photo of him and his children with the simple caption, "Made it back home. Such a bittersweet day… Really missing Casi," the community caught wind of this tragic story, and a GoFundMe was created in Casi's name.
Now, in a stunning testament to the power of community and of the goodness of strangers' hearts, nearly $145,000, plus supplies, have been donated to the family to help Joey support his five beautiful children.
Below, listen to Joey tell the story himself after his babies were safe at home.
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