What was meant to be the happiest day in one family’s life turned into a nightmare which tore them apart. This is the story of Matt and Liza Logelin, a couple from a small town in Minnesota who got unjustly tested by life.
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While the young couple were waiting to meet their daughter for the first time, tragedy struck and left Matt desperate and alone with an important choice to make. One which not only changed his life but would go on to affect thousands of others.
1. Fairy-Tale Beginnings
No love story starts worrying about the tragic end and Matt and Liz were no different. The Minnesota native met when they were High School seniors and their relationship didn’t start with a formal date or anything – but with Liz mispronouncing Matt’s name!
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Their meet-cute was one worthy of Hollywood – more on that later, but as soon as the two teenagers met they became inseparable. With just one year left at home before they both went off to college, the first year of their relationship was idyllic.
2. Long Distance
The young lovebirds knew that what they had was something special and while most teenage relationships fizzle away as everyone moves away from home and goes to different colleges, Matt And Liz were different.
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The sweethearts enrolled in different colleges with Liz going to California while Matt attended a local university and rather than break up, they decided to have a long-distance relationship.
3. His Choice
It wasn’t easy but the couple made it work but after several years of living apart, Matt had to make a decision. He had completed his Master’s Degree and now wanted to pursue a PhD.
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But that would have meant that his already tight schedule would become tighter and seeing Liz near impossible. He had to make a choice, move halfway across the country to be with Liz or continue with his local PhD program.
4. The Right Choice
After all those years apart, Matt knew what the right answer was. He moves to Los Angeles and finally, the couple were together. They didn’t waste any time and went on all the adventures they had planned to do ever since they were young.
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The two travelled the world together and during one such trip, Matt went down on one knee and proposed to Liz in Nepal. Of course, she said yes! The two made it official in 2005 and were full of hope for the future.
5. New Lives
Settling in Los Angles had been a huge leap of faith for Matt who had left a stable and secure life in his local town but it felt all worth it to know that he and Liz would finally get to spend the rest of their lives together.
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And things actually worked out for the better, as they always do. Matt found a great job as a Project manager at Yahoo and Liz as a financial executive at Disney. The couple bought a house together and it was time for the next step.
6. The Next Step
Two years after their marriage, the couple found out they were blessed to be pregnant. Their first child was a girl and Liz and Matt couldn’t have been happier. Eager to become the best parents they could be, the couple actually started an online pregnancy blog.
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Liz shared details about her pregnancy, asking readers for advice on and sharing with the world her fears, apprehensions and excitement on becoming a mother but alas, life was going to take a twisted turn for the expectant mother.
7. Not Easy
Liz regularly posted pictures of herself pregnant and shared the good with the bad. She wrote about her experience with severe morning sickness and how she was even hospitalized for a couple of weeks after her pregnancy was classified as high-risk.
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The young woman had always been relatively healthy, so this new turn of events was one that was rather jarring for the expectant mother but as always, Liz tried her best to move forward and anxiously waited to hold her daughter soon.
8. Welcoming Madeline
On March 24, 2008, the wait was finally over and the couple welcomed their daughter, Madeline (Maddy). Liz had a planned cesarean and with Maddy weighing barely 3 lbs. 14 oz, the newborn was rushed to the neonatal ICU.
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This meant that poor Liz had gotten only a glimpse of her baby girl, one she had gone through 9 months of hell to meet. The doctors advised Liz to rest until Maddy stayed a day or two in the ICU.
9. Updating The Blog
While the couple anxiously waited to be reunited with Maddy, Matt spent the time updating their blog. He wrote ” “Madeline is here!” “The proud parents will continue to update everyone on our beautiful baby. Look forward to evening more good news,”
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But things were about to shift drastically for the new family. Doctors had mandated Liz to stay on bed rest for 24 hours after her C-section. The new mom followed all the advice and after the period was over, as she was being wheeled to finally meet Maddy properly, tragedy struck.
10. Following Protocol
Matt remembers all that happened so clearly, even at times he wished he didn’t. He was helping Liz into the wheelchair when she suddenly uttered “I feel light-headed” and collapsed in his arms.
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While fainting was common amongst new moms, especially those who had given birth through C-section this was something else. The nurses pushed Matt out of the way and tried to help the new mom but it was too late.
11. Heartbreak
Only 27 hours after giving birth to Madeline, a rare, fatal pulmonary embolism took Liz’s life. She was just 30-years-old. “She was never going to hold her baby,” Matt painstakingly recalled.
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In a day, Matt had felt every emotion in the world. From the unexplainable joy of seeing Maddy for the first time to worry and now grief. One which had turned him into a devasted widower.
12. Broken
“On that same day, my world fell apart,” he mournfully wrote on the blog. A space the couple had created where they had planned on filling pictures of themselves as a new family was now the space where Matt had to tell the whole world what had happened.
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The new father was now all alone, confused and scared. He had no idea how to navigate the parenting alone and even questioned if he was capable of doing it. Matt Logelin was a broken man with a shattered dream.
13. The First Night
The only thing that kept it afloat was Maddy. As he finally held her for the first time, he knew he had to throw away his fears and apprehensions – he had to become a good father for her and Liz.
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The first night alone with Madeleine was as Matt had expected, terrible. Everywhere he looked in their home, the memory of Liz followed him. And as he sat quietly crying alone with Maddy, wishing his wife was there, Matt felt helpless.
14. Coping Skills
It was only when he looked at Maddy did he find the strength to go on and with so many confusing feelings running in his head, he decided to start posting to an online parenting forum.
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He also refashioned his and Liz’s pregnancy blog into a personal parenting blog. He found comfort in writing about his experiences which helped him feel less alone. Also, the online community provided Matt with useful advice on baby care from parents in similar situations.
15. New Support System
Matt’s blog, now called “Matt, Liz and Madeline: Life and Death, All in a 27-Hour Period,” turned into a virtual scrapbook for Madeline. What started as a cathartic experience for Matt turned into a successful blog with tens of thousands of views every day!
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His modest home began filling with gifts he received from strangers all across the world from nail clippers to handmade baby clothes for Maddy. Matt felt the love of these strangers for his broken family. “I never imagined that people would care about us the way they do,” Matt gratefully said.
16 . Charity Work
As the months turned into years, Maddy and Matt finally found a routine. The father learned how to do it all alone – of course, with help from his family and friends and grateful for the support he received online, he wanted to give back.
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Matt set up a charity organization in Liz’s name who was a runner herself, Liz Logelin Foundation organized 5-K walks and runs in Liz’s hometown, and all the money raised was given away to the widows and widowers Matt had met through his blog.
17. Success
In 2009, with Maddy by his side, Matt travelled to India where he was inspired to write a memoir titled Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love. India was a place of special importance as Matt and Liz had travelled there right after their wedding.
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The book became an instant New York Times bestseller and has been turned into a hit Netflix film, titled Fatherhood. The film starred Kevin Hart as Matt and only brought more donations and awareness to the Liz Logelin Foundation.
18. New Project
The success of his first memoir more or less ensured a safe future for Maddy and allowed Matt to focus mainly on his charity work but that hasn’t stopped him from working. He recently co-authored a children’s book with his friend Sara Jensen.
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“Be Glad Your Dad…(Is Not an Octopus!)” is a humorous, G-rated version of the “would you rather” game, accompanied by illustrations by Jared Chapman, and to no one, surprise has been getting rave reviews.
19. Like Her Mother
Now, ten years old, Maddy never got the chance to meet her mother but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t part of her life. Matt made sure to surround his daughter with his late wife’s pictures and regularly tells her stories about what Liz was like.
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“In many ways, it (his blog) is a love letter to Madeline and Liz.” “I want Madeline to know that her dad didn’t just curl up in a ball and start drinking heavily. He continued “I want her to know I was out there, doing as much as I could for her, and trying to make her as happy as I could.”
20. Moving Forward
With the release of Netflix’s Fatherhood, the world is more curious than ever to know how Matt and Maddy are doing and according to his very active Twitter, the answer is that they are doing great.
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Maddy is seen involved in the Foundation’s activities and of course, when she isn’t doing that, of course, she is a regular young kid. Matt has continued to help single parents through his charity work and teaching the world that one can never lose hope, even when they want to.