Sarah Wells, a Canadian Olympian known for her performance in the 2012 London Games, opened up about her recent experience with pregnancy loss on January 23, 2024. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she aimed to normalize discussions around miscarriage and emphasize kindness towards those facing similar challenges.
Wells began her message by acknowledging the sensitivity of her topic, stating, “I’m not sharing for sympathy, but to help normalize something that is far more common than we realize.” She revealed that she had been pregnant after several months of trying and felt a mix of excitement and hope. Unfortunately, during travel to an event, she began to experience distressing symptoms. “I started to break down on the plane,” she recalled, expressing her fear in such a vulnerable moment.
Upon landing, Wells made the difficult choice to prioritize her health over professional commitments. She informed her client that she could not attend the event and instead headed to the emergency room. “It sounds silly that it was a difficult decision, but I genuinely debated if I should still go,” she wrote. Fortunately, fellow speaker Jess Janzen stepped in without hesitation, allowing Wells to focus on her well-being.
In the emergency room, Wells underwent scans and blood work, ultimately receiving the devastating news that she was likely undergoing a miscarriage. “Receiving that news while in a different city and away from my person was hard,” she acknowledged, expressing gratitude for her friend Julie, who stayed with her during the ordeal.
Wells described the emotional complexity of her experience, as she began to lose the pregnancy shortly after leaving the hospital. “It’s not all in one go,” she explained, highlighting the drawn-out nature of miscarriages. As the process unfolded, she found herself alone in various public places, including a hotel bathroom and an airplane restroom, grappling with intense emotions.
Despite her pain, Wells felt compelled to maintain a façade of normalcy in public. “I didn’t want to break down in front of the Uber driver or the hotel front desk attendant,” she shared. Instead, she chose to smile and engage in small talk, concealing the emotional turmoil she was navigating.
Returning home, Wells reflected on the support of her husband, Blake Parsons, yet still felt a sense of isolation. “Though Blake makes me feel very loved and supported, he ultimately cannot understand what my body is feeling,” she noted. She emphasized the commonality of miscarriage, citing the Mayo Clinic‘s statistic that as many as one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, with many occurring before a woman even realizes she is pregnant.
Through her candid sharing, Wells aims to remind others that everyone may be fighting unseen battles. “No matter how someone shows up…polished, smiling, productive, you truly never know what they might be carrying,” she said.
Reflecting on her journey, Wells expressed a positive outlook, stating, “I genuinely believe our bodies are incredibly intelligent, and that this one simply wasn’t meant to continue.” She remains hopeful for the future, believing that her family’s story is not over and that lessons learned from this experience will guide her moving forward.
