When Mr. Jake Seet — a freelance commercial diver — went missing last month, his wife, Ms Jocelyn Li, was heavily pregnant with their third child. She never thought he would not be around to witness the birth of their baby girl.
His body was later discovered floating in the waters off Sentosa. Heartrendingly, he never will get the opportunity to meet his new daughter Jewel, or see his two sons, Justin (6) and Jareth (3) grow up.
Widow of Commercial Diver Gives Birth to Late Husband's Third Child
When Ms Li was was on her way to hospital on May 30 to give birth to her third child, she wondered why her husband was not by her side.
But it was the period after visiting hours when her beloved husband's absence hurt the most. She felt lonely, and she missed him terribly.
She told The New Paper, "The toughest period was after my delivery, when I was in a two-bed ward. The husband of the patient beside me was always by her side, so I would feel extremely lonely seeing them.
"The word 'husband' has become a knife to my heart."
'I Felt His Presence in My Pregnancy'
Ms Li says even though her husband was not with her in the last few weeks of her pregnancy, she always felt his presence by her side.
"Jake very much wanted to see his daughter. He told me she will be the most beautiful girl in the world as she was his girlfriend in his past life," she told TNP.
As soon as her daughter was born, these were her first words to the baby girl: "Daddy would love to see you. Even though daddy's not around, and you can't see him, he will always be by your side.
"He is your guardian angel."
While Mr Seet is not physically here anymore, Ms Li told TNP she sees her husband in their children.
"The left side of Jewel's ear is sharp while her right ear is more rounded, just like her dad. The other two have the same feature."
How will she tell baby Jewel about her daddy? By showing plenty of photos of him after she celebrates her first birthday. She also hopes to play voice clips sent by her husband while he was out at sea:
"Good morning Jareth, good morning Justin, good morning mummy. I love you. I miss you guys. I will be back soon, okay? Be good."
This recording comforts her two little boys whenever they miss their dad, explains Ms Li. Revealing a heartbreaking detail, she says their younger son does not understand the recording is not live, and always replies, "Okay daddy."
A Tough Time for a Brave Mother
Ms Li's brother told TNP that the last month has been challenging for his sister. Soon after the birth of Jewel, her little boys showed signs of hand, foot and mouth disease. But she is trying her best to cope, and for the sake of her kids, avoids showing sadness when they are around.
Also, they are very grateful to donors who contributed almost $260,000 to Ms Li's family via Give.asia, a fund-raising website. The targeted amount is $300,000.
Our hearts and thoughts are with you, Ms Li. Here's wishing you all the strength and courage in the world to raise your three beautiful children with love.
Source: The New Paper