'Hubby died as I was pregnant with miracle baby, I’ll always have piece of him'
A mum whose husband suddenly and unexpectedly dropped dead when she was six weeks pregnant with their miracle baby says she’ll always have a “piece of him.”
High school sweethearts Marketta Davis, 40, and her husband Danny, 37, had been trying for a baby for three years and had suffered a miscarriage not long ago when they found out Marketta was expecting.
But, two weeks later, when Marketta was six weeks pregnant, the journalist came home to find US Air Force technical sergeant Danny collapsed in their home gym having suffered a heart attack due to undetected heart disease.
Marketta describes the shocking moment, saying: “He had his music playing when I got home. It was very strange - normally he’d have diner going. I went upstairs to see what was going on and I tried to open the door but his foot was jamming it.
“I thought he had dozed off. I went to the other door and he was on the floor. I could tell he had passed. I was in shock. I thought 'this can’t be real - I’m pregnant with our first child and this can’t be happening'.
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Marketta while pregnant with Danni (Marketta Davis / SWNS)“I thought there is no way I am going to hang onto this pregnancy with the stress and grief. I thought I’d lose the baby too. I’ll protect this little girl at all costs. It’s a big piece of him that I’ll always have.”
Devastated, Marketta, of Tampa, Florida, US, leaned on friends and family who would fly out to ‘babysit’ her during her pregnancy. She said: “It was physically easy but mentally a war.”
Marketta’s brother Joseph Barnes, 36, was by her side during the birth of her daughter, Danni, named after her beloved late husband.
The birth itself was traumatic and Marketta’s worst fears were almost realised when Danni’s heart rate dropped and doctors rushed Marketta through for an emergency c-section.
Baby Danni was named after Marketta's late husband (Pictured) (Marketta Davis / SWNS)
Marketta Davis and her daughter Danni (Marketta Davis / SWNS)“The doctors said 'We’ve got to make sure we get this baby out safely,'” Marketta said.
And they did, Danni was born on March 7, 2020. But the trauma wasn’t over. As newborn Danni lay on Marketta’s chest, the new mother suddenly started bleeding out.
“I thought I was going to die on that table,” said Marketta. “But I knew she was going to be taken care of.”
Doctors managed to save Marketta and she was able to properly hold her daughter later that day.
Danni as a newborn (Marketta Davis / SWNS)Marketta said: “Holding her in my arms I kept thinking about the support he would have given me. She’s got his nose. My husband used to ball his hand into a fist and his thumb would be on the inside not the outside.
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“My daughter does the exact same thing – even from birth."
Marketta and Danny met as high school sweethearts in 2000, tied the knot in August 2006, and decided to try and start a family in 2017. But the couple struggled to conceive for three years before they found out Marketta had a uterine polyp – a growth attached to the inner wall of her uterus.
Following a surgery to remove it in April 2019 she fell pregnant in June but suffered a miscarriage at six weeks as she hadn’t healed enough from the operation, she said. But a month later in July they were able to try again and were “excited” to get a positive pregnancy test.
Danni is blossoming (Marketta Davis / SWNS)
The two make quite the pair (Marketta Davis / SWNS)Two weeks later, Marketta came home to find Danny had passed away in their home gym from a heart attack.
She said: “The paramedics said he’d has a massive heart attack out of nowhere. I remember walking into the house knowing he’s never going to walk in with me ever again.”
Marketta says Danni, who has a toy pillow of her dad with a voice recording of him, has always borne a strong resemblance to her father, with the same eyes, nose and way they make a fist.
Marketta had to navigate the first few months of being a new mum with the added “rollercoaster” of her grief. While she still struggles with the loss of her husband, she has learnt to find a ‘new normal’.
Danni is trying to cope as best she can (Marketta Davis / SWNS)Now she has become “stronger” and describes Danni, now three, as “amazing” and “goofy” just like her dad. “This is my husband as a little girl,” she said.
Milestones are still tough and Marketta says the grief always comes back, but she doesn’t fight it. “It’s proof I loved and it was real,” she added.
“It’s no easier but I’m stronger. It’s amazing watching her blossom. Her dad was goofy. I see a lot of that in her – it’s hilarious. This is my husband as a little girl. She’s so fun – reminds me of him so much. It’s bittersweet.”
Marketta still struggles with the loss of her husband but has learnt to find a “new normal” with her daughter.
She said: “Whenever she reaches another milestone the grief comes back. It’s no easier but I’m stronger. It doesn’t mean your life has to end, you find a new normal. You’ll always be a widow. It doesn’t have to become who you are. Don’t fight the grief – let it happen. It’s proof I loved and it was real.”
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