'I lost my husband just weeks after my twins were stillborn'

“He was a strong and steady presence at a time when my heart was shattered into a million pieces," Adam's heartbroken wife said. “But I now know that sometimes grief and trauma can be utterly overwhelming for even the strongest people.” Please note: This story mentions pregnancy loss.

Joel Erickson

3 min read

September 27, 2023 - 8:19AM

Family Life

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A woman has been left heartbroken after her husband took his own life weeks after the couple’s twins were stillborn.

The Daily Mail reports Adam Edwards, 32, died last week after struggling with his mental health in the wake of the tragedy.

Adam and his wife, Lucy, were celebrating in February after finding out they were pregnant with twins after seven gruelling years of IVF.

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They announced their pregnancy to friends and family in April using a snapshot of their latest scans.

However, their celebrations turned to heartbreak just three months later when their twins were stillborn at 21 weeks in July.

The Daily Mail reports the couple held a funeral service for their twins, who they named Penny Christine and James Robert, and prepared a moving video for social media about their short lives.

Adam Edwards was found dead at his remote mining job in Western Australia, leaving his wife Lucy heartbroken. Picture: Daily Mail

"I don't know how to do this life without you"

Unfortunately, Adam struggled to recover from the couple’s heartbreaking loss, and his body was found at a remote BHP-owned mine in Western Australia’s remote north-west last Tuesday.

Lucy broke the news to friends last week on social media with a picture of the couple consoling each other as they held their stillborn babies.

“To love Adam Edwards has been the privilege and joy of my life,” she wrote. “I don’t know how to do this life without you.

“We all love you fiercely, but to have been loved by you is the greatest gift any of us could have asked for.

“I would do anything for one last kiss, one last hug or one last day. Please take care of our babies.”

Adam and Lucy tragically lost their twins when they were stillborn at 21 weeks. Picture: Daily Mail

"I hope no other family goes through this"

Lucy told The Daily Mail her late husband’s passing was a warning for other men and implored anyone going through similar grief to seek help.

“Everyone who knew and loved Adam is devastated,” she said. “His legacy brings to the fore the importance of mental health for men.

“I hope no other family goes through this.

“My life changed irrevocably when I received the news. Adam’s death was sudden and unexpected, and he died alone and hundreds of kilometres from the home we shared in Perth.

“His devastating passing came a little more than two months after we buried our twins - two perfect sleeping angels born at 21 weeks and five days.”

The couple went through seven years of IVF treatment before they conceived their twins earlier this year. Picture: Daily Mail

"Sometimes grief can be utterly overwhelming even for the strongest people"

She told The Daily Mail it was “impossible” to describe the couple’s excitement when they found out about the pregnancy in February, and said Adam was “simply overjoyed” to be a father.

She said Adam had been a “vital emotional support” for her during their grieving, but had masked his own heartbreak as he slid into his own depression.

Lucy believes his job as a FIFO mine worker had negatively affected his situation, as he was away from her during his lowest ebbs.

“When a fit and healthy young man dies suddenly and unexpectedly, it is natural for people to assume it was the result of a long battle with mental illness,” Lucy told The Daily Mail.

“This wasn’t the case for my beloved husband. Over these past few unimaginable months of grief and loss, Adam was my rock.

“He was a strong and steady presence at a time when my heart was shattered into a million pieces.

“But I now know that sometimes grief and trauma can be utterly overwhelming for even the strongest people, and for many men, especially those working FIFO, reaching out for help is daunting.”

Lucy hopes sharing her heartbreaking story will encourage other men to seek help if they need it. Picture: Daily Mail

"You are loved and there is help"

Lucy hopes Adam’s tragic death will spark change to prevent similar situations happening to any other families.

“While all I can do is face my unbearable sadness one day at a time, my hope is that other families can be spared the heartache and pain that we are now experiencing,” she told The Daily Mail.

“We need more community conversations about the impact of infertility and losing precious unborn children. We need more understanding of the impact of sudden loss and trauma can have on a person’s wellbeing.

“We need to ensure that men working in high stress industries such as mining know there is no shame or stigma in opening up about grief and accepting support.

“You are loved and there is help, all you need to do is ask.”