A father whose wife died just hours after giving birth to their quadruplets has received an outpouring of support from strangers all over the world. A GoFundMe page set up for the family has already received more than $332,000 in less than two months.
On January 16, Carlos and Erica Morales welcomed three girls and one boy — Carlos Jr., Tracey, Paisley and Erica. But after delivering four healthy babies via C-section, Erica, 36, went into hypovolemic shock, a condition that involves severe blood loss, and died a few hours after her children were born. Today, Carlos is raising the kids by himself in Phoenix, Ariz., though not without help from his mother-in-law, friends, and now, more than 9,000 strangers.
“To think that so many people are giving me whatever they can afford makes me smile,” Carlos told People of the more than 9,300 donations he has received through the fundraising page. “Every single penny will help so I can give my babies a great life.”
The page, which was set up by Erica’s friend Nicole Todman, has a goal of raising $500,000. “The expense of raising 4 children alone is quite daunting for any middle class family, now the with the loss of Erica’s income, her husband will need all the help he can get,” Todman writes. “My goal is to help ease the financial worry as much as possible so every dollar helps, if it’s $1 or $1,000, it will all be used to provide for the beautiful babies Erica fought so hard to have and in the end gave her life for.”
Carlos and Erica got pregnant with quadruplets after struggling with infertility and a miscarriage, according to People.
Today, Carlos Jr. and Tracey are home, while Carlos expects Paisley and Erica to be released from the hospital any day. “I can’t wait for us all to be together,” Carlos said. “Seeing their tiny smiling faces gives me courage.”