Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Tragic Pregnancy Loss News

Dec 14, 2020 by apost team

Meghan Markle, 39, has surprised fans with an unscheduled appearance on CNN today, the first since she announced her miscarriage in November. The former-actress appeared in a pre-recorded segment in the CNN Heroes special on Sunday, where she celebrated those who have supported others as the world still copes with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the segment, Markle spoke of how members of the community have stepped up to help their fellow citizens amid the pandemic. 

"In a year that has been universally challenging for everyone, I'm inspired by the stories of compassion in our communities. Across the country, people have put their own needs aside to come together and support the collective well-being of those around them," she said.

The former senior-Royal looked back at how the coronavirus seemed to change everything "overnight" when it first proved to be a crisis in the USA in March. "For many families, the impact of the pandemic has been catastrophic, and far too many were faced with the heartbreaking question: How am I going to put food on the table for my family?" Markle said.

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She then noted that, amid all the adversity, the world saw the "power of the human spirit" as people stepped up and found ways to help their communities in "remarkable ways."

"We saw the good in people, in our neighbours and in entire communities coming together to say they would not stand by while our neighbours went hungry," the 39-year-old continued. 

Markle praised neighborhoods for chipping in and taking action when kids' lunch programs came to a halt, ensuring that children would still receive the nutrition they needed. She also gave a shout-out to those who delivered food and necessities to the more vulnerable and immunocompromised members of the community, who were forced to isolate themselves completely.

"We know the value of food; as nourishment, as a life source, and in the moments of crisis, the warmth of a meal can feel as comforting as a much-needed hug – especially in the absence of human contact due to the social distancing we're all experiencing," she said. 
 

According to the Duchess, the segment was dedicated to the heroes who reminded their fellow-citizens that, even in a time of an unprecedented crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still cared for. 

 "Tonight, we are celebrating these quiet heroes, some of whom I know and others that we applaud from afar. These individuals stood up and made sure the most basic needs of our communities were met. They made sure those around them did not have to suffer in isolation. They nourished their neighbours in more ways than one," Markle said. 

"And they showed us, all of us, that even in the darkest times, when we come together, we have the power to remind someone else that there is hope, and that we will be OK."

Over the past months, Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, have stepped up and volunteered with local charities that offer help for those hit hardest by the effects of the ongoing pandemic. According to People, the couple was spotted in April as they helped distribute meals for Project Angel Food, a charity that prepares and delivers meals to vulnerable populations in isolation. 

A few months later, Markle and Harry made a stop at the Homeboy Industries, a community social justice organization that aims to help formerly-incarcerated gang-involved people in L.A. get back on their feet. The pair joined the organization's members in their café and bakery to help prepare meals for their feed hope program to be later distributed to food-insecure locals. 

They also helped the charity Baby2Baby at the start of the academic year, taking part in a drive-through school-supply distribution program in South LA. The charity shared photos of the couple handing out packages of supplies and mingling with some of the children on their Instagram account in late August. 

In November, Markle sent shockwaves across the globe after she revealed she had suffered a miscarriage in July, losing her second child with Prince Harry. The former-actress shared the devastating news in a piece she wrote for the New York Times, titled The Losses We Share. The article featured a raw account of Markle's harrowing experience and her dissatisfaction that, although many women suffer miscarriages, the conversation around it remains taboo.

According to her piece, what started as a typical summer day, filled with the average parent's errands and responsibilities, took a dark turn soon after changing her son Archie's diaper.

"I felt a sharp cramp," Markle wrote. "I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right."

"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second."

The former-actress explained that her experience prompted her and her husband to research the topic, only to find a staggering number of women miscarry. However, it is still seldom spoken about publically. 

"In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage," Markle wrote. "Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning."

The article is yet another instance of the former actress breaking away from Royal tradition. While Markle is not the first Royal to suffer the "unbearable grief" of losing a child, she is the first to publically speak of the experience so candidly. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, miscarried at six weeks pregnant back in 2001 while Zara Tindall, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, miscarried twice. 

The Royal family generally shies away from sharing personal details or becoming emotional in public, with Queen Elizabeth not once in her 68-year reign speaking of her private life in an interview. 

The move is not unprecedented for Markle. Last year, in a documentary that followed her and her husband on their Royal tour in Africa, journalist Tom Bradby asked Markle if she was "OK," to which she gave a strikingly honest reply. 

"Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it's a lot," Markle said. 

That experience helped her realize the importance of that simple question; a question that can help another person feel free to unload a weight off their back. 

"Sitting in a hospital bed, watching my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine, I realized that the only way to begin to heal is to first ask, 'Are you OK?'"

With her piece, Markle hoped to encourage other people to open up about their losses as well. 

Are you glad to see Markle making public experiences after opening up about her tragic loss? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family.