Aussie influencer Hannah Orval and NFL star partner Patrick Murtagh reveal devastating loss of their son
Australian influencer Hannah Orval and her partner Patrick Murtagh have revealed the devastating loss of their unborn child.
Orval and Murtagh, a former AFL star turned NFL player, broke the tragic update on social media, revealing that their baby was stillborn.
Hannah Orval and NFL star partner Patrick Murtagh have revealed their baby was stillborn. Instagram/@hannahorval
“Meelo Michael Murtagh, born into this big world early and sleeping. 🤍👼 He will forever be the biggest missing piece of the rest of our story. To be a family for even just for a day was irreplaceable,” their statement read.
“Childbirth, I would do it over again every day in every lifetime to meet him.”
The statement concluded: “We are absolutely devastated, but forever our biggest achievement in life.”
Orval is the daughter of internet personality Mark Orval, famously known as ‘Angry Dad’, who left a poignant comment underneath the post.
“Meelo Michael Murtagh, forever in Poppie’s heart. I am appreciative for the short time I got to show my love to him and I know he will be in heaven being loved right now, waiting for us all to reunite one day,” he wrote.
“Pat and Hannah, your strength throughout this has been so incredible. I am so proud of you both. You are beautiful humans.”
Hours after the announcement, Orval detailed her grief journey with her followers online.
“I dreamt for a lifetime of being your mumma and I walk you through your next life too because I’ll always be your mumma,” she wrote.
“My heart will forever be frozen in time to the day we met you. Your little fingers, your little toes, your daddy’s nose.
“Where two truths can exist simultaneously, our day with you was both the most incredibly magical and utterly heartbreaking day. Though forever grateful for it because I relive it every day. We were and always will be a family.”
The first post concluded: “I miss you more than I can even begin to comprehend, my heart goes out to all the mums and dads who know what this grief feels like, I’m sorry.”
Orval shared her grief journey in a separate post shared to Instagram. Instagram/@hannahorval
In a second statement, she went on to praise her partner for being by her side during the most devastating day of their lives.
“Grief filled the room, loudly. The pain physically and mentally. But one thing that never wavered for even a moment was the strength of Meelo’s dad.
“From the moment we stepped into that room he wiped my tears, he held my hand, he walked me to the bathroom, he warmed up my blankets, changed my bedding, stayed up while i slept, fed me ... the list goes on.
“Because I was giving birth and because I was grieving .. all the time he was too but me and Meelo were never once left without his tenderness.
“I will be forever in debt to the man that carried us both through this world. @patrick.murtagh Meelo would have been the greatest of men watching and learning from his dad.”
Orval shared a heartbreaking photo of their baby’s room. Instagram/@hannahorval
The couple started dating in 2024, and went public on social media with their romance the same year.
Murtagh hails from Queensland, and moved to the US in 2024 to kick off his NFL career. Prior to that, he spent three years playing in the AFL for the Gold Coast Suns.
If you or someone you know is struggling after being affected by pregnancy loss, you can contact Pink Elephants, or SANDS Australia (1300 072 637). The Red Nose Grief and Loss Support Line (1300 308 307) offers 24-hour support to anyone who has suffered the loss of a child during pregnancy, stillbirth or beyond.
