Nearly a year after Bode Miller and Morgan Miller’s 19-month-old daughter Emeline died after drowning in a neighbor’s pool, the couple’s midwife and close friend shared a photo from Emeline’s funeral, along with a reminder on the importance of water safety.
On Friday, Lindsey Meehelis shared a photo from the funeral, showing her delivering a eulogy beside a picture of Emeline and pink balloons.
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In her caption, Meehelis noted that there are only two months until the summer and called on parents to “make a commitment together to do better for our children and get them watersafe.” She noted that the American Academy of Paediatrics recently changed its water safety guidelines “and they need to be shouted from the rooftops.”
“I never want to stand up with my knees trembling looking my dear friends in the eyes as I give a eulogy for their daughter,” Meehelis wrote. “Comment below, tag a friend, share my stories, print it out and post at your neighborhood pool. Let’s get this information out there!”
In her eulogy for Emeline, Meehelis recalled how Morgan “dug deep for a strength that she never knew she had and pushed through” when Emeline was born three weeks premature.
“The strength that Morgan found that night was Emmy’s first gift. For Emmy knew that her time here would be short, and she knew that in order for her parents to survive her loss, that the strength that they found that night wasn’t optional, it was necessary,” Meehelis’ eulogy read. “The moon moved across the horizon in the cool night sky, Morgan and Emmy danced together as this earthly angel began her journey here to change the world.”
“With deep wide eyes, she connected with everyone in the room. Staring deep into our souls,” Meehelis later said of Emeline. “There is something special about every newborn baby, but there was something extra special about Emmy…. her eyes told us a story. She was fearless, determined & fierce.”
In June, Miller, a retired Olympic skiier, confirmed that Emeline died after drowning in a neighbor’s pool in California. Nearly six months later, Miller and Morgan, a volleyball player, welcomed son Easton. The couple are also parents to 4-year-old Nash and Miller is father to Neesyn, 10, and Samuel, 5, from previous relationships.
“If there’s one thing that can kind of help to heal and fill that spot in your heart, it’s a baby and he’s a special one. Besides the lack of sleep, it’s been a really nice process to be able to go through,” Miller said on the Today Show in November 2018. “It’s unbelievable.”
“Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of death in children ages 1-4,” Morgan wrote in an emotional Instagram post a month after her daughter’s death. “We talk about vaccinations, car seats, organic foods, screen time, etc at length…but not the number one risk your childrens’ lives face…a silent killer. It takes SECONDS. Please share and help us spread awareness. It’s the first step to preventing these types of tragedies.”
