A woman who lost her husband to COVID-19 one week after she found out she was pregnant has revealed that she is engaged to be married two years later.
Christiana Neazer, 31, and Andrae Reid, 30, from California, fell in love last year while she was grieving the loss of her late husband, Michael Neazer, who died from COVID complications in July 2020 after a three-week battle with the virus.
Reid, who is helping the young widow raise her daughter, Shiloh, got down on one knee and proposed to Neazer on a boat in Long Beach on July 25.
‘It just shows me we really don’t know what’s gonna happen in our life and so I want to take advantage of the fullness of life,’ she told Today. ‘Do what makes you happy. You don’t know your last day on Earth.’
Christiana Neazer, 31, and Andrae Reid, 30, from California, (pictured with her daughter) fell in love last year while she was grieving the loss of her late husband, Michael Neazer
Neazer and Michael (pictured together) had been struggling with infertility for five years when he contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to the hospital in June 2020
Neazer’s life changed forever when she and her late husband, Michael, contracted COVID-19 in June 2020. While she recovered, he was admitted to the hospital.
At the time, the couple had been battling infertility for five years. She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at age 24. The hormonal disorder can cause infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods and excess male hormone levels, which can make it difficult to get pregnant.
In June 2020, she met with a fertility doctor who prescribed her medication to help her conceive. Michael contracted COVID shortly after, and she never ended up taking it.
Michael was in the intensive care unit (ICU) when a missed period led to her taking a pregnancy test. To her surprise, it was positive.
Neazer found out she was pregnant while he was in the intensive care unit (ICU), and they celebrated the news via text
Michael’s health continued to deteriorate, and he died a week later in July 2020
‘I was pregnant and depressed and I wasn’t excited about having a baby anymore,’ she told Today. ‘I was struggling just to survive through it’
Neazer texted her husband the news but their celebration was short-lived. His health continued to deteriorate, and he died a week later on July 15, 2020, at age 32.
‘I was pregnant and depressed and I wasn’t excited about having a baby anymore,’ she told Today last month.
‘I was struggling just to survive through it. If I hadn’t been pregnant, I’m pretty sure I would have harmed myself. If you just keep holding on, you learn you’re here for a reason.’
Neazer was still grieving her husband when she also lost her father to COVID-19 seven months later.
Seven months after Michael’s death, Neazer also lost her father to COVID-19
Neazer was pregnant and finishing nursing school when she and Reid went from being acquaintances to close friends
The widow welcomed her daughter, Shiloh, in March 2021, after telling herself that she was going to allow Reid to be ‘more involved in her life
She was pregnant and finishing nursing school when she and Reid went from acquaintances to close friends
Reid would frequently check on her, but she struggled with letting him into her life while she was mourning the loss of her husband.
‘The day before I had Shiloh I was like, “I think I’m going to allow him to be more involved,”‘ she recalled. ‘But you have guilt and shame attached to it as a young widow.’
Neazer welcomed her baby girl in March 2021, and after months of struggling with her romantic feelings for Reid, they made their relationship official in August of that year.
Reid would frequently check on her and Shiloh, but she felt guilty about having romantic feelings for him after her husband’s death
Neazer and Reid made their relationship official last August, five months after Shiloh was born
‘It’s beautiful because I was truly loved at my worst, so it can only get better from here as I continue to get better through different seasons of my life,’ Neazer said
The mom opened up about her bittersweet love story in a now-viral TikTok video that has been viewed 9.2 million times.
The clip features a slideshow of images starting with her pregnant and ending with Reid bonding with her young daughter.
‘POV: You just lost your husband to COVID [one] week after finding out you’re pregnant. You’d been infertile for over [five] years. Then you lose your father to COVID, [and] you’re scared your daughter won’t have a father figure in her life,’ she wrote in the on-screen text.
‘But then… a friend steps up to help, [and] not only does he love your baby girl, but he loves you, in all your brokenness.’
Neazer opened up about her bittersweet love story in a now-viral TikTok video that has been viewed 9.2 million times.
The clip features a slideshow of images starting with her pregnant and ending with Reid bonding with her young daughter
Reid, who is helping the young widow raise her daughter, got down on one knee and proposed to Neazer on a boat in Long Beach on July 25, They moved in together earlier this month
In the caption, she added: ‘When God gives beauty for your ashes, Isaiah 61:3.’
Neazer, who was also raised by her stepdad, moved in with Reid earlier this month following their engagement.
‘It’s beautiful because I was truly loved at my worst, so it can only get better from here as I continue to get better through different seasons of my life,’ she said.
‘He already saw me in my worst state. He allows me to just be free in my grief moments and I think that’s what love is — truly caring for someone in all of their seasons.’
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