A father in Clay Center, Kansas is left to care for his five children after his wife passed away shortly after giving birth to triplets earlier this year. A band of kind-hearted Sunflower State citizens has spread the father's story in the hopes of raising funds for his young family.
Joey Rott's wife, Casi, died in February due to a blood clot in her lung. Rott told The Kansas City Star that the blood clot was most certainly caused by his wife's intense pregnancy and caesarean section delivery.
Casi was no stranger to blood clots and had to be constantly monitored by doctors before and after she gave birth to her triplets. She was finally sent home two weeks after childbirth. Sadly, she only managed to spend five minutes with all her children before her chest pains recurred.
Rott quickly took Casi back to the hospital but she was proclaimed dead within a few hours. Rott was devastated with his wife's passing and was left to ponder how he would tell the newborn triplets about their mom.
"I'll tell them what she did for them. I'll tell them that she got to hold them and that she wishes she were here," Rott sobbed. "She was the nicest person I ever knew."
The father of five had to rely on relatives and friends to help take care of Chloe, Tenley and the triplets, Asher, Levi and Piper. Word soon got out about Rott's touching story which prompted family friend Hilary Thompson to create a GoFundMe page for the family. The campaign has now raised a total of $84,000.
"I have 16-month-old triplets," Thompson shared to ABC News. "She was very excited to tell us before they announced it to everybody else that they were having triplets. They're a very precious family and it's a very tough deal."
Rott has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. He thanked the well-wishers for their prayers and donations. He also pointed out that the triplets are A-okay and are living with him and their two big sisters.
