Emily Mitchell, Pregnant ‘Hidden Way’ Influencer, Dies Suddenly at 36

Emily Mitchell, who created the popular The Hidden Way Instagram page, died suddenly just three days before Christmas while pregnant with her fifth child. She was 36. A friend of the family set up a GoFundMe account to support her husband and four children, and more than 3,000 people have donated a combined $157,000 so far.

On the morning of Dec. 22, Mitchell was having breakfast when she “suddenly became unresponsive,” wrote GoFundMe organizer Allyson Speake. Although her husband, Joseph Mitchell, and emergency medical personnel tried their best, they could not revive her. Both Mitchell and her unborn baby died at The Westerly Hospital in Westerly, Rhode Island, according to her obituary. Her family named the unborn child Joey.

“Our hearts are broken and her joyful presence will be greatly missed by so many,” Speake wrote. “Em made a big impact in so many people’s lives, and this loss is incomprehensible for anyone who knew her. Our friend was a dedicated mom and wife, she had a heart for the Lord, and loved her children so dearly.” Aside from her husband, Mitchell is survived by their four children, Finn, Isla, Edie, and Lulu; parents Joseph and Fail Giancaspro; two brothers; and her sister.

Mitchell created The Hidden Way to document her family and faith. She had over 130,000 followers and published an accompanying blog. Her last Instagram post was published on Dec. 8 and showed herself with her husband and children. She announced plans to have her fifth C-section. In the caption, she noted that any mother who gives birth via a C-section will still welcome children who are blessed.

“It’s not a competition,” she wrote at the time. “There aren’t awards handed out for homebirths or all-natural births. If you’ve been blessed with that, then that is incredible. Truly!! But if you haven’t, please know and believe you have STILL BEEN BLESSED. You aren’t less-than or second-class for needing to rely on a team of doctors for surgery. ALL that matters is that you have a child brought into the world. Entrusted to you to love and nurture.”

Mitchell’s obituary described her as a “devoted wife and incredible mother” to her children, and had a “deep faith that was the foundation for everything in her life.” Mitchell had an “infectious smile and a kind, compassionate spirit,” the obituary reads. “Her exuberant personality radiated outwardly in her interactions and relationships with all who knew her. Emily was a symbol of strength during the most challenging of times for so many.”