Australian influencer Leah Jay has honored the memory of her newborn daughter, Rowe, who died shortly after birth in June, with a tattoo of the infant's heartbeat. Jay shared a photograph of the tattoo inked on her arm, a poignant tribute to her late daughter.
Jay announced the devastating news of Rowe's death last month, posting a photo on social media of herself and partner Michael Ramsey cradling their daughter in a hospital bed. "Our daughter. Rowe. The strongest little girl we will never get to know," she wrote in the caption. "You made it through infections and multiple surgeries, even when the odds were against you. We are absolutely devastated. Rest peacefully. Love always, mum, dad and your big brother Reeves."
Jay also shared an image of herself kissing Rowe in the hospital, noting that her daughter resembled her brother. The loss occurred months after Jay underwent open heart surgery during her second pregnancy. The medical ordeal began when she experienced leg swelling and pain, which led to the discovery of a blood clot requiring emergency surgery. Doctors later identified an infection in her heart, present for about a year, as the cause of the clot.
"I kept thinking it was just bad luck, pregnancy symptoms, or that I needed to push through it," Jay stated in January regarding her health. "But my body was trying to tell me something much bigger."
Following the diagnosis, Jay and Ramsey transferred to a specialized heart surgery center when a strep infection in her blood was found. This infection had formed a vegetation on Jay's mitral valve, necessitating a six-hour open heart surgery to replace the valve, during which her heart was stopped for 80 minutes.
In May, Jay documented her recovery from the surgery in a video montage, which included footage of her exercising and ringing a bell in a hospital ward. "Graduated cardiac rehab. Couldn’t be happier," she announced at the time.
Fellow celebrities and friends offered their condolences in the comments section of Jay's tattoo post. Model Jess Rae King described the tattoo as "Beautiful," while Ashy Bines and Anna Heinrich shared heart emojis.