Mari and Nate Kuhlman had been married for just three days when Nate died in a waterskiing accident. The newlyweds had traveled to St. Lucia for their honeymoon after getting married on October 28, 2023. Nate’s loved ones prayed for a miracle. Now, Mari believes that God “answered our prayers, and prayers of those around the world, just in a different way than we had expected.”
Nine months after Nate’s death, Mari welcomed their son, Raphael Patrick. “God i thank you for the gift of Raphael Patrick, who has healed my heart from the moment that i found out i was pregnant!” Mari wrote on Instagram after her son was born.
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Nate's death was 'consistent with drowning.'
Nate learned to swim at a young age and had lots of waterskiing experience, per the Tampa Bay Times. At the time of his funeral, his family had not received autopsy results or a police report. The “Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad” certificate they received simply read “Consistent with drowning,” according to the newspaper.
Mari didn't think she would get pregnant.
Mari was at Nate’s parents’ house when she did an at-home pregnancy test. She decided to buy the test after missing her period, even though she thought her missed period could just be the result of grief, per the Tampa Bay Times. After all, she and Nate had only been married for three days, and they specifically chose to get married after Mari was no longer ovulating.
Because of Catholic tradition, they didn’t use contraception, according to the Tampa Bay Times, but they did not plan on having children right after getting married.
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She found out she was pregnant with her 'miracle' baby on Thanksgiving.
Mari used an app to track her menstrual cycle. According to the app, she had ovulated before her wedding. She thought pregnancy was unlikely given the circumstances, but the test she took on Thanksgiving revealed that she was pregnant with her “miracle” baby.
She shared her pregnancy news on Instagram in January, writing, “clearly, God had a plan bigger than anything we could have ever imagined. He answered our prayers, and prayers of those around the world, just in a different way than we had expected, but still the GIFT OF LIFE; the miracle we are so overjoyed to finally share with you all.💗”
Mari was 'overjoyed.'
Although Nate and Mari had originally planned on focusing on their careers first and starting a family later, Mari was thrilled to find out that she was pregnant.
“I was so overjoyed that God would give us this gift of new life,” she told the National Catholic Register. “I was wishing Nathaniel was here with me, but there is overwhelming joy. I could feel his joy. He already knew, but I was just finding out.”
She welcomed her son on July 18.
Mari gave birth to her son, Raphael, nine months after Nate’s death. On Instagram, she wrote messages to Raphael and to Nate. Addressing her newborn baby, she wrote, “with your dada we always told each other how each and every day our love for each other GROWS every day. and it’s already the same with you, by the minute my heart GROWS more and more in love with you!”
To Nate, Mari wrote, “nate, our son is here! i cannot believe it, thank you for carrying me through one of the hardest days of my life! but the reward of holding our son in my arms was obviously so worth it! i know you’ll be praying for him, for us each and every day, and he will know without a doubt how much his father loves him!”
