Cleveland Browns player Hakeem Adeniji announces stillbirth of his son
Cleveland Browns player Hakeem Adeniji has announced the stillbirth of his son.
The 26-year-old posted a devastating video to social media, in which he started to cry while announcing the death of his and his wife Kayla's son Semiu Zade Adeniji.
Adeniji revealed that six days before the due date, an ultrasound found no heartbeat.
'It was the worst moment of my life,' Adeniji said. 'Everybody that knows me knows how bad I wanted to be a dad.'
On Monday, Nov. 11, Adeniji posted a series of photos of himself and Kayla holding their son in the hospital room. The post also featured a lengthy message about their unfortunate loss.
Cleveland Browns player Hakeem Adeniji has announced the devastating stillbirth of his son
Adeniji and wife Kayla revealed an ultrasound found no heartbeat six days before the due date
'It's been a little over a week since we lost our boy. There's been, anger, sadness, and emptiness. The fact that he is gone has set in now and nothing can change that,' he shared. 'I'll never get to see him grow up, and he'll never get to read his journal I wrote for him. I miss him and l'll miss him everyday for the rest of my life.'
Later in the message, Adeniji wrote, 'This will be hard, but that's life. Always has been and probably always will be. We appreciate all the prayers, support and well wishes from everyone it is much appreciated. I still want to be a dad more than anything else in this world, and he gave me that even though it was short lived. When and if I ever get that opportunity again I'll never take a day for granted. I love my boy and he will live through us.'
Kayla posted on her account and shared her emotional thoughts in her caption.
'We lost our son. We had to say goodbye to the most perfect, beautiful boy I've ever seen. We will never ever be the same and we will never forget him,' she wrote. 'He had a head full of curls and his daddy's nose. The softest cheeks and big hands. He will always be my son and I will always be his mom.'
'He got us through so much this year and stayed so strong for us for so long,' Kayla added. 'I will always remember holding him and smelling him. He was just perfect. Oh my sweet boy mommy and daddy will always smile when we think of you, I promise. Please look out for us my angel.'
She also noted that Semiu was born on Nov. 2, weighed 8lbs 4oz and 21 inches and was due on Nov. 7. Days later, Kayla posted a video of herself holding her son for the first time.
'The moment I held him for the first time. I couldn't believe how beautiful he was,' she shared. 'I dreamt of seeing his face for so long. I dreamt of this moment for years. It just felt like he was taking a nap in my arms, he looked so peaceful.'
'Today, November 7th at 7:30am we were supposed to check into the hospital for a scheduled induction. We are choosing to use this day to honor our little boy and create our new family traditions,' she continued. 'The Lion King was Hakeem's favorite movie and he always talked about how he couldn't wait to watch it with our son. So we will do exactly that and remember our brave little boy.'
'Until I can hold your hand again son, I love you.'
Akeem and Kayla got engaged in January 2021 and tied the knot in July later that year.
They announced their pregnancy in May with a photoshoot, writing, 'To our son We’ve been waiting for you. We prayed for you, dreamt of you, always knew we wanted you. Baby Adeniji coming November.'
Hakeem was drafted by the Bengals with the 180th pick in 2020 after three years in Kansas. He played in Cincinnati for two years before joining the Vikings in 2023 and moving to Cleveland the year after.
