New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai and his loving partner, Kalei Mau, are dealing with the devastating loss of their baby girl while embracing the power of gratitude, faith, and the gift of life.
Kalei told the news on Instagram, where she shared that she was already six months pregnant with their second daughter and was set to give birth in March 2026. However, their joy was cut short when Kalei was rushed to the hospital as she was critically ill with an incredibly rare blood infection while she was pregnant.
On the 20th of November, Kalei was found unresponsive in their home and immediately taken to the hospital, where she was put into a medically induced coma by doctors. She was in the coma for six days while her medical team fought to save her life. It was during this time that many complications set in because of the infection.
Due to the extreme nature of this infection and loss of function, their precious baby girl sadly died within the womb. Even before Kalei could awaken, her body began going into labor on its own, and she gave birth to her baby girl without ever waking up. This was one moment that was filled with sorrow that Kalei’s family had to endure, even as they prayed for Kalei to live.
Through what Kalei calls the “Grace of God and the Power of Prayer,” she eventually awoke from the coma and embarked upon the long journey of healing and restoration towards wholeness. In the face of the overwhelming grief that would have been the result of a death, Kalei’s life became an incredible reminder of the presence of “faith and the strength of the human soul.”
The couple chose the name Ka Ua for their daughter, which is the beautiful Hawaiian name “The Rain.” Kalei went on to say that the following day after being released from the hospital, “I got to pick up my little one and kiss her good-bye for the last time.” But as Kalei walked outside, the rain began to fall, “a soft rain that fell gently all around me” and gave her peace.
Kalei offered her sincerity thankfulness to the doctors and nurses who possessed the skills that saved her life, as well as the love that was always with her in the form of her family and friends. Kalei was also grateful to the New England Patriots Franchise for surrounding them with love in the most difficult days. “Now that I can embrace in Hawaii,” Kalei writes, “I am healing—slowly but surely—with each physical and emotional mend.” Indeed she is, as she tries to make sense of all that she’s been through as she does with “gratitude in every cell of my heart,” with “faith unshaken,” and believing “my daughter’s spirit will always surround us like the gentle rain that falls each day.”
