Hakeem Adeniji has experienced a devastating loss.

The Cleveland Browns’ offensive tackle shared that his and his wife Kayla Adeniji’s first baby, a son named Semiu Zade Adeniji, was stillborn less than a week before his due date.

Hakeem shared the heartbreaking news in an emotional social media post, noting he and Kayla rushed to the hospital on Nov. 1 after she said she couldn’t “feel” their son.

The couple arrived at the hospital, where an ultrasound was administered. “They put it on her stomach and we didn’t hear anything,” Hakeem explained in the Nov. 5 video, growing tearful. “It was the worst moment of my life. Everybody that knows me knows how bad I wanted to be a dad.”

The 26-year-old said he and Kayla were able to spend some time with their son—with whom Kayla became pregnant following a “long process” of in vitro fertilization (IVF)—after he was delivered, pictures of which Hakeem shared in a subsequent post.

“We were six days away from having our little boy,” he added in his video. “We got to hold him. We got to spend some moments with him. We’ll never forget him. We love him. He’s going to live on in our hearts forever.”

Hakeem shared an additional update a few days later, which he captioned, “Better days ahead of us.”

In addition to the photos of himself and Kayla with their son, the NFL player shared an emotional message, noting in the then-week since the couple lost their baby “there’s been anger, sadness, and emptiness.”

“The fact that he is gone has set in now and nothing can change that,” he wrote. “I miss him and I’ll miss him everyday for the rest of my life. Kayla and I want to remember him for all the happy times he gave us, and all the hard moments he got us through.”

Hakeem continued, “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.”

For her part, Kayla—who tied the knot with Hakeem in 2021—also penned a moving message alongside a video of her holding Semiu for the first time, of which she wrote, “It just felt like he was taking a nap in my arms, he looked so peaceful.”

She also shared how she and Hakeem planned to honor Semiu, both on the day he was meant to be brought into the world and forever.

“Today, November 7th at 7:30am we were supposed to check into the hospital for a scheduled induction,” she wrote. “We are choosing to use this day to honor our little boy and create our new family traditions. 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.”

She concluded, “Until I can hold your hand again son, I love you.”

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