Wife of Canucks' Elias Pettersson shares that she's had another miscarriage
Heartbreak has struck the Pettersson family again.
On Wednesday night, Katelyn Pettersson, the wife of Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson, shared on Instagram that she has suffered another miscarriage.
“Sharing this with a heavy but hopeful heart. I recently experienced my second miscarriage. It’s a kind of grief that feels invisible, yet all-consuming,” Katelyn wrote on Instagram.
“This kind of loss changes you but it does not define you. There is strength in surviving something that no one sees, in carrying grief and still choosing to move forward.
“I’m still finding my words, but I wanted to open this space for honesty, for support, and for connection.”
Katelyn Pettersson shared the sad news on Instagram (@katelynbyrd/Instagram)
This is the second time that Katelyn has opened up about enduring a miscarriage. She shared the story about her first miscarriage on social media in December. At the time, Katelyn revealed that she was due with the couple’s first child on July 4.
In January, Elias opened up with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre about his emotions through the ordeal.
“Obviously, it’s very emotional,” the 27-year-old Canucks centre told MacIntyre. “It’s not what you expect to happen. You don’t think it’s going to happen to you. It’s tough, but that’s life.”
“I’m not going to sit here and make everyone feel bad for me,” he said. “We’re not the only ones this has happened to, but it is tough.”
The Canucks centre expressed gratitude for the people who reached out following the first miscarriage.
“When Katelyn posted about it, just the amount of people who reached out and shared their own stories, that helped us a lot,” he said.
Katelyn is shedding light on a heartbreaking topic that happens more than many may realize.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 10 to 20 per cent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage. It adds that the actual rate may be higher due to unreported miscarriages.
The odds of having another miscarriage increase slightly to about 25 per cent for women who have suffered a previous miscarriage.
B.C. Women’s Hospital and Health Centre has several resources for learning about the impacts of miscarriage, along with support for families who have endured one.