The Closing Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics were everything they were supposed to be: all about celebrating some amazing athletics. But if you noticed a tinge of sadness as Take That took to the stage, you weren't wrong. X Factor judge and singer Gary Barlow was performing for the world just over a week after his baby girl, Poppy, came into the world stillborn.
The loss of Barlow's fourth child threatened to keep the entire band out of the Olympics event, but somehow he made it out there last night anyway. I don't think I could have done it, but let me just set the cruel trolls of the Internet straight right now.
Gary Barlow just buried a child. Now isn't the time to question the singer's decision. It's time to marvel at a man who has shown the will to get past what most of us would prefer not to imagine.
Barlow just reminded us that parents don't have the luxury of losing themselves to grief when they have other kids. Poppy was the youngest of four kids for Barlow and wife Dawn. Their son Daniel, 11, and daughters Emily, 9, and Daisy, 3, all need their parents, perhaps more now than ever.
These kids were expecting a new baby sister on August 4, and if you think it's hard for adults to make sense of stillbirth, just imagine what it's like for kids. They've learned Mom goes to hospital, Mom comes home with baby, and any deviation from that puts them in a tailspin. It would be easier to hide away in their rooms grieving than face their older kids, but that's part of parenting.
As for facing the whole world, Gary Barlow would have had every right to call up his bandmates and say, "Sorry guys, but I just can't do it." But he didn't. He pulled it together, went out, and gave a heckuva show for the Closing Ceremonies. And in doing so, he brought international attention to the plight of parents dealing with neonatal death -- in fact his fans already have a site set up to help one of the British charities that helps families in this situation, and more than 1,000 people have already chipped in.
Gary Barlow is helping his kids get through this pain; he's helping the whole world full of parents get through this type of pain. He's pretty much a hero in my book right now.
How about yours? Have you been through neonatal loss? What got you through?
Image via SplashNews
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Comments 10
My heart goes out to his family. He no doubt had a contract he could not afford to break. Even celebrities still need to feed and care for their families. Trying to stick to a rotinue and a snese of normalcy also helps get through the grief. We have lost 3 little angels and there is no way to escape the pain in his heart and mind I am sure. But no one should be angry with him for trying to bring some joy into his life and doing what I am sure he had not much of a choice in doing.
Their performance was moving and (I thought) one of the highlights of the evening. Know, reading this, it makes it that much more poignant. My heart goes out to his family as they deal with the loss of their precious little girl.
No one, absolutely no one has the right to judge someone else's grief process or decisions made under grief. This is absurd. We all do have the choice to be compassionate over severe devastating loss or not. Mean people sit back and judge. Kind offer support only. It's the others choice of hate and judgment or love not the one going through it and had more to say about them then the bereaved . I for one just feel bad for the loss for the entire family and Poppy now there angel to watch over them, like my Asher for his mom and his siblings. We all need one of those too. And it s okay to grieve the way you need to at those times in life. A little at at time...all at once or putting it off for a while to be strong for others. It will come though in it's time.
My heart goes out to him and his family. This article brought tears to my eyes. I had a stillborn baby girl on June 8, 2010, and I miss her every single day, even though I now have a 15 month old. My family kept me strong and helped me through my loss. I think he is so strong for what he did, and that he kept strong. He most likely was singing to Poppy and I commend him for that.
:-( no doubt this had to be hard yet everyone heals in their own way may peace be with him and his family