ESPN “Around the Horn” host Tony Reali announced Sunday that he and his wife were expecting twins and were able to deliver one, but not the other.
On Monday’s show, Reali used the “FaceTime” segment to address the situation further and compared it to children being put in cages when their parents try to enter the United States illegally.
In his speech, Reali called on humanity to “be better.”
Transcript as follows:
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.
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent