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NFL player Trent Williams and his wife, Sondra Williams, tragically lost their baby boy at 35 weeks after losing his twin earlier in her pregnancy.
On December 1, Sondra announced their son Trenton O’Brien Williams Jr. was stillborn in a heartbreaking post on Instagram.
“It’s been extremely hard trying to process the saddest Hello and Goodbye that I’ve ever had to endure,” the wife of the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive tackle wrote next to a reel of pictures from throughout her pregnancy.
“Last Sunday night on 11/24/24; I welcomed your lifeless 4lb 8oz 18.5 in long little body at 11:38pm. At only 35 weeks, your impactful and quick arrival didn’t even give mommy time to get an epidural,” she continued.
“I’m so grateful to have had your Aunt Katina (who also cut your cord) and nurse Hannah by my side. As much as I tried to prepare myself for our meeting, I wasn’t prepared nor would I ever be.”
Sondra explained she’d lost Trenton’s twin “early in the pregnancy.” Trenton was then diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a rare genetic disorder where a person has an extra chromosome 13. The life expectancy of people with Trisomy 13 is short, according to Cleveland Clinic. Most babies with the condition do not live past one month.
“Half of babies born with Trisomy 13 live longer than two weeks and fewer than 10% will survive the first year of life,” Mississippi State Department of Health states.
Sondra went on to write: “I prayed and hoped that your diagnosis of Trisomy 13 wasn’t true and wouldn’t be the fate of my long awaited beautiful Son-shine.
“My firstborn and only son, I’ve always wanted you, but God wanted and needed you more. Knowing you are in Heaven with your Great-Aunt Vivian and that you will Always be our Guardian Angel brings me great comfort in the midst of all this sorrow.
“My heart is heavy. Being home without you in my arms has been quite an adjustment. Knowing I will never be able to watch you grow older alongside your sisters has my eyes filled with tears.”
The devastated mom said celebrating Thanksgiving “without my baby in my arms” was heartbreaking. However, she remained confident in that he would be watching over her from heaven.
“And for that, my heart smiles with gratitude,” she added. “I’m at peace knowing you will never have to suffer. Although I will never hear your soft coos and cries or see those beautiful little eyes staring up at me, I am grateful to God for the time I shared with you.
“Madison loved listening to your heartbeat and watching your waves of movement in my tummy. Trenton O’Brien Williams Jr., my sweet baby boy, we love you our Forever Angel,” she finished.
The professional football player did not comment on the death of Trenton.
Earlier this month, a fellow NFL player experienced a similar loss. On November 9, Hakeem Adeniji, the offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns, took to his Instagram to share a poignant post revealing his son Semiu Zade Adeniji was stillborn just days before his wife Kayla Adeniji’s due date.
“Better days ahead of us,” he wrote next to a picture of Kayla and him holding Semiu in the hospital.
