Casey Battle has spoken about the extraordinary kindness surrounding her family as she and husband, Hawthorn AFL star Josh Battle, grieve the devastating loss of their unborn child.
Casey shared the heartbreaking news publicly on Sunday, posting a deeply personal collection of photographs and video showing the family saying goodbye to their baby.
Together with daughters Billie and Bobbi, Casey and Josh headed to the beach for a quiet farewell, releasing a balloon carrying drawings and messages into the sky.
One simple message read: “Baby Battle”, accompanied by a heart and the words, “I love you Belle.”
Alongside the images, Casey put into words the enormity of a loss that has changed their family forever.
“A tiny life, a love that will last forever,” she wrote.
“There are some moments that change you forever. A little life that left the biggest imprint on our hearts.
“Until we meet again, our beautiful baby.”
In the days since sharing their loss, however, the Battles have discovered just how many people are standing beside them.
Casey returned to social media on Tuesday to thank friends, family and complete strangers for an overwhelming outpouring of kindness, revealing that messages, phone calls, flowers, food deliveries and other gestures had arrived as people searched for ways to offer comfort.
She said Billie and Bobbi had also become an enormous source of strength during the family’s darkest moments.
“Holding our girls a little closer through all of this,” Casey wrote.
“They have been my light during some of my darkest days, and a reminder of just how much love surrounds us.
“So incredibly grateful for our little family and for every precious moment together.”
Casey said it was difficult to adequately express what the support had meant to the family.
“Every message, food drop, call, flowers and kind gesture has meant so much to our family,” she wrote.
“We feel so incredibly loved and supported. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.”
That support has stretched across the AFL community, with Hawthorn players Jack Ginnivan and Massimo D’Ambrosio among those sending their love. Partners of AFL stars including Patrick Cripps, Jeremy Cameron, Nathan Broad, Toby Pink and Zach Merrett also reached out, while former AFLW player and television presenter Abbey Holmes offered her love to the family.
Images: Instagram
