MISSION VIEJO, Calif. – Olympic gold medalist skier Bode Miller and his wife, professional beach volleyball player Morgane Beck Miller, sent heartbreaking Christmas wishes to their 19-month-old daughter who drowned in June.
This was the Miller family’s first Christmas since Emeline “Emmy” Grier Miller fell into a pool and drowned and the family shared their love for Emmy on social media over the holiday.
Morgane wrote on Instagram, “2018 has been a year full of overwhelming sadness and overwhelming joy. We have spent half of the year mourning and attempting to heal the loss of our angel which feels like an impossible battle all while celebrating the birth of our son.”
Included in her post were three family photos. One featuring Morgane, Bode and their four living children, one of just their living children and another showing the Miller family gathered around Emmy’s photograph.
Morgane adds, “Normally I would be looking forward to a ‘fresh beginning’ in 2019 but there is no more starting fresh after the loss of a child. So here’s to a healthy 2019 full of personal growth and creating many memories with my babies, full of smiles and laughs.”
Lastly, the family wished “Merry Christmas to our baby girl in heaven.”
Since Emmy’s passing, the Millers have been working to raise awareness for child drowning prevention, which, after birth defects, is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Children in that age group most often drown in swimming pools, hot tubs and spas.
