Five weeks ago, Olympic alpine skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan Beck Miller lost their 19-month-old daughter Emeline when she tragically stumbled into a friend’s pool and drowned.
On Friday, the skier and his wife spoke out for the first time since losing their daughter in an interview with “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. The couple discussed their heartbreaking loss, and what they want others to learn from it.
Bode Miller and Morgan Beck Miller sat down with @SavannahGuthrie for their first interview about their daughter’s drowning. Tune in on Monday for the full conversation. pic.twitter.com/MdmQtOwNql
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 27, 2018
“I can attest from firsthand experience now that it’s unbelievably quick and it’s unbelievably sneaky,” Bode said of the horrific accident.
“You’d think it’d be, like, some weird circumstance or some strange thing,” he added. “And, it’s not. It just happens in the blink of an eye.”
Morgan added her own words of caution for parents who think it couldn’t happen to them.
“A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds,” she said. “And I just keep counting to 30 in my head. That was all I needed. And so, it’s one of those things where, as a parent now, when you go to someone else’s house, survey the home to see if it’s a safe place for your child to be.”
On June 9, Morgan and Emeline were at their neighbor’s home when Emeline disappeared for a moment. The next thing Morgan knew, she was pulling her daughter out of the pool.
The Orange County Fire Department was called, rushing to the scene and performing CPR on the small child. When CPR didn’t work, they transported Emeline to a local hospital, but were unable to resuscitate her.
Bode, who was not at the neighbor’s home when the incident occurred, soon received the worst call of his life, when Morgan said they were on their way to the hospital and that there had been an accident.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj5vPtEDS3_/?taken-by=morganebeck
Bode and Morgan are currently expecting their third child together. The couple announced the joyful news weeks before Emeline’s death. They have been married six years and have a 3-year-old son named Nash Skan. Bode also has two other children from prior relationships: Neesyn, 10, and Samuel, 5.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjX7Oo1Dlre/?taken-by=morganebeck
Bode and Morgan have both been extremely vocal about the tragic loss of their daughter on social media, thanking friends and family for the immense support.
On June 19, the couple both shared a photo of Emeline to Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOlXRHliP6/?taken-by=millerbode
“We want to thank our friends, family and every one of you who sent a message, said a prayer or donated for the overwhelming expression of support — we are truly touched and blessed,” the caption read.
The family’s midwives set up a GoFundMe page in order to support them during this extremely difficult time. The GoFundMe page details that the funds will be used to set up a “Foundation in honor of sweet Emeline Grier.”
A Meal Train account was also set up to provide meals for the family during their time of mourning.
“Our midwives started a gofundme campaign to raise funds and we intend to donate these funds raised to worthwhile causes connected to water safety education,” Miller wrote on Instagram. “We are inspired to make our baby girls memory go forth and help prevent as many drownings as possible. We will post more soon on our plans and efforts.”
Please keep the Miller family in your prayers as they continue to grieve for their precious daughter while preparing to welcome a new blessing into the world.
The full “Today” interview with the Millers will air Monday.
(H/T: People Magazine)