None of us could imagine what we would do if we lost our life partner during the toughest season of parenthood. Losing someone you love in any season is a heartbreaking moment that requires grief and a lot of life adjustments. But imagine losing your life partner just a few months after giving birth to your eighth child.
Cloe Green, 27, mother to eight children, lost her husband, James 31 soon after the birth of their eighth child. The young parents from North Wales were determined to raise a large family with no assistance, until tragedy struck.
Twelve weeks after giving birth to the couple’s youngest child Elijah, James died in his sleep. Cloe tried desperately to perform CPR on him, but it was sadly too late.
The grieving widow has been left to raise their 8 children by herself. She’s determined to be mum and dad to her little ones.
Cloe said: ‘It was so sudden and so shocking. To think James won’t be here to see the large family he wanted so much grow up breaks my heart.
‘When it happened I wanted to cry – but I looked at those eight little faces all depending on me and I knew I had to do this for them and for James.
‘Nobody can replace James. He loved being a dad so much. I am devastated he was taken from us but pleased he got his wish of us having our eighth baby.
‘He would say “just one more” and wink at me.’
The most difficult part of the tragedy for Cloe has been telling her children Leo, nine, Levi, six, Oliver, five, Megan, four, Miley, three, Lacey, two, Lexi, 20 months and Elijah, 11 months their daddy is no longer with them and has gone to heaven.
The couple were childhood sweethearts, but got together when they were teenagers. They unexpectedly had their first child at 17.
Cloe explained: ‘It was a shock because we were so young but James took it in his stride. He just smiled and said he always wanted to be a dad.’
Cloe continued: ‘Two years later I was pregnant again with another son, Oliver, and when he was just six weeks old I was expecting again – we were both so excited to be having our first daughter.
‘We married and soon after I gave birth to Megan.
Cloe and James on their wedding day
She added: ‘All my friends had to talk their partners into having babies but in our house, it was the other way around.
‘We had nothing to be ashamed of for wanting a big family, we didn’t claim any benefits.
“He would wink at me and smile and say, “Just one more Clo”, and soon we had Miley”
‘While I was a full-time mum, James worked his socks off in a café, slogging every hour possible to provide for us.
‘He would wink at me and smile and say, “Just one more Clo”, and soon we had Miley.’
When the couple discovered Miley had special needs, Cloe had a contraceptive implant. But it failed and she was soon pregnant again.
She recalled: ‘James said it was meant to be for us to have more babies.’
After Lacey was born, Lexi came soon after and in 2015 Cloe was pregnant with baby number 8.
When Cloe had Elijah, little did she realise her world was about to fall apart a mere few weeks later.
Cloe reflects that James was an amazing dad.
‘Superdad James never stopped. He’d do the school run, then go to work at the café before picking the kids up.
‘Then he’d sit and play games and read until bed time. He had so much energy.’
On December 4, 2015, James decided to take the older children to London. The night before the trip, the couple went to bed, but hours later James sat upright in bed and stopped breathing.
Cloe called emergency services and performed CPR but it was to no avail. ‘I wanted to scream and cry but knew I needed to keep calm.’
James was pronounced dead from hypertensive heart disease.
She said: ‘I felt my knees go weak and tears poured down my face. Telling the kids their dad had died was just the hardest thing I have ever tried to do.
‘In the end my sister explained their dad had gone to heaven to be with their grandad. The older ones began to cry.’
“Becoming the only parent of eight children at such a young age – when some of my friends are still partying and not even thinking of settling down – is daunting ”
Family and friends have rallied around the young mum to help with school runs and Cloe’s mum helps at home. Cloe’s three youngest girls have cerebal palsy, which makes family life even more busy.
Cloe admits, ‘In my darkest moments I wondered how on earth I would do this without James, I felt lost.
‘But I had to do it. I love my brood so much I know I can do a great job for them in my husband’s honour.
‘Elijah is now 11 months old. He had not long been home from hospital when James died, so we hadn’t got the chance to take any family photos of them all together.
‘I was relieved to find one of the kids had accidentally snapped James holding him on their iPad. I now treasure the grainy picture.’
In honour of her husband’s memory, a crowdfunding page has been created to raise £8,000 to finish one of the projects James was working on in the garden, which he never got to complete.
To make a donation to Cloe’s page, head here.
