Former NFL player Patrick Murtagh and his partner, influencer Hannah Orval, are mourning the loss of their first child together. The couple announced on Instagram Friday that their baby boy, Meelo Michael Murtagh, was born prematurely and is now “sleeping.”
“He will forever be the biggest missing piece of the rest of our story,” they wrote. “To be a family for even just a day was irreplaceable.” Orval, founder of Niu Swim, shared her raw grief in a series of emotional posts. “Childbirth, I would do it over again every day in every lifetime to meet him,” she wrote. She also praised Murtagh for his unwavering strength: “Grief filled the room, loudly. The pain was physical and mental, but one thing that never wavered for even a moment was the strength of Meelo’s dad.”
The couple announced their pregnancy on May 2, celebrating Meelo as their “rainbow baby”, a term for a child born after a previous loss. Murtagh, an Australian athlete who played for the Denver Broncos in 2025, is currently a free agent. He also played for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League. The pair went public with their relationship in 2024 and have been together since 2023.
