Maria Arias, girlfriend of the late Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez, opened up about giving birth to their daughter five months after his tragic death.
The new mom welcomed Penelope Jo Fernandez to the world on February 24.
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The 25-year-old called the baby girl a little piece of the 24-year-old MLB star left behind.
Arias learned she was having a little girl just one week before Fernandez died in a horrific boat crash after a night of partying.
“It was beautiful, it was emotional,” Arias tearfully said about the birth of her daughter. “I have a lot to be thankful for, I have my family and I have Penelope. But he was a person who brought so many emotions. Nothing is the same without him,” she told PEOPLE.
The baseball star was killed after his 32-foot boat named “Kaught Looking” smashed into a rocky jetty in the early hours of September 25. Fernandez’s autopsy revealed he had cocaine in his system and had alcohol levels almost double the legal limit.
Arias, who had also grown up in Cuba like Fernandez, became pregnant just five months after she began dating the pitcher.
The new mom admitted she had been nervous about the potential backlash of her pregnancy.
“We had just started a relationship, and I thought people would judge me. But he made me feel so good about everything that I didn’t care what I had to face,” she said.
Following his death, Arias and Fernandez’s mother Maritza, were named co-representatives of the baseball player’s estate. Arias said the loss has brought her closer to his mother.
After a six-month investigation into the tragedy, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed last month that Fernandez had been driving the boat at the time of the crash.
The devastating accident also claimed the lives of Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias, who had been on the boat with Fernandez. The family of the victims have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the estate, but Fernandez’s attorneys have since disputed the commission’s findings.
“It’s nice to talk about him, but it hurts too,” Arias said. She revealed she had “no attraction” and “no interest” when first meeting the athlete, but later saw a different side to him at a birthday dinner toast with friends and family that she soon grew to love.
She also revealed how the proud father named his little girl, suggesting they name their daughter after favorite Spanish song called Penelope.
“Everybody knew how much he loved her and how happy he was to be a dad.”
Arias said she plans to return to work as a discharge planner at hospital in Miami in a few months. The mom admitted she feels grateful for her child, but some days she feels scared and alone.
“But I look at Penelope and know that I’ll always have the piece of him. I will forever talk to her about him. She deserves that from me, and so does he,” she said.
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[H/T Daily Mail]
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