Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. Their relationship was strong, able to weather anything life threw their way. After getting married and finding careers in their adulthood, they were excited to begin the next big step as a couple: parenthood. Liz was expecting a girl. Tragedy struck, however, and soon Matt was wondering where to turn with his grief. He decided to re-read his wife’s pregnancy blog and there he found something he could’ve never expected.
22. Early Romance
Matt and Liza grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a town just 23 minutes outside Minneapolis. Their fairy tale romance began at a gas station of all places, when Liz approached Matt during their senior year. She mispronounced his name, but just the interaction between the two made it apparent that sparks were there.
21.College Goodbyes
Like many high school sweethearts, the couple had chosen different paths for college. Matt was going to study at the University of Minnesota, while Liz had chosen to study at a university in California. Would their relationship last the distance? They made it work. Matt graduated with his Bachelor’s then went on to grad school at Loyola in Chicago, then tried to decide whether he wanted a Ph.d. But then he made a drastic decision involving Liz.
20. Going to Be with His Love
No longer able to live apart from Liz, Matt decided to move to California in 2005. Packing up his belongings, he set out for Los Angeles. That trek was the beginning of several he would trek, except now, he had Liz by his side. They traveled the globe and finally in Nepal, he proposed. Matt and Liz tied the knot on August 13, 2005, and were excited to start their lives together. Things couldn’t be better. Matt had a great job at Yahoo while Liz worked at Disney. Then they got some unexpected news…
19. A New Bundle of Joy
Two years into their marriage, Matt and Liz were delighted to find out two was soon to become three. Liz was pregnant with their first child and they were understandably excited. They joyously shared the news with friends and family, while preparing a nursery. They didn’t know what life had in store for them next…
18.Sharing the News
To share the progress of Liz’s pregnancy, the couple started a blog for friends and family in Minnesota. Their posts were soon full of updates and pictures for all to see. It was a great way to involve everyone in their lives even if they couldn’t be there in person. Among the photos shared is Liz pointing at her baby belly. She looks elated and his glowing. It was one of Matt’s favorite photos of her and he had no idea how far it would reach beyond their support system back in Minnesota.
17.Pregnancy Problems
Not every pregnancy is smooth sailing, and Liz seemed to be struggling, despite their joy about a new baby. After facing severe morning sickness, she was ordered to bedrest for several weeks by doctors. Matt was a doting father-to-be and husband, keeping an eye on his wife’s progress. Liz had remain in bed for more bedrest, but Matt continued the pregnancy blog. No one had any idea what was coming.
16.High Risk
Liz was about seven weeks before her due date but she was rushed to the hospital because doctors were concerned about her high risk pregnancy. She actually went to the delivery room twice, but both times the baby wasn’t ready until finally, doctors had to take action. Liz underwent an emergency C-section and the baby was almost two months premature. The date was March 24, 2008. They had a baby girl but something tragic was about to happen.
15.Welcoming Madeline
Madeline, also known as Maddy, was welcomed to the world at just 3 lbs, 14 oz. She was shown to her parents and then ushered off to the NICU. Liz and Matt were excited about their baby, and it was time for Liz to get some rest. Matt updated the blog to announce Madeline’s arrival. He promised more news soon, but that news was some no one wants to hear.
14.More Bedrest
Liz wanted to hold her daughter but was forced to do 24 hours more bedrest. The baby was doing well after the 24 hours ended, and Liz was wheeled to see sweet Madeline. Matt joined her. But Liz wasn’t well, and soon, things were going to take a turn for the worst.
13. Everything Changes
Liz was being helped into the wheelchair when she said “I feel light-headed,” and collapsed. The nurses tried to assure Matt that new mothers could often faint after birth, which was a exhausting process. Matt knew though that this wasn’t just fainting. The doctors soon agreed and rushed around Liz then had him leave the room.
12.Code Blue
Matt heard ‘code blue,’ and saw people rushing past him, he told The Guardian in 2011. He knew it was for Liz, and he knew the future didn’t look good. “She was going to die, today, here in this hospital. And she was never going to hold her baby.” Doctors soon realized the problem: a blood clot had traveled to Liz’s lung, causing her to die of a pulmonary embolism at just age 30. Matt felt himself shook to the core
11.Widowed
Matt was now a widow and a new father. How could he go on without the love of his life? The pregnancy blog had just been updated with news of Madeline’s arrival but now he had an update and it was devastating. Liz now needed an obituary and Matt decided to write it. He wrote, “Five weeks ago…things were perfect. On that same day, my world fell apart.” The entry was simply titled “Liz.” His thoughts also drifted to the newborn Maddy. How could he raise her by himself?
10. A New Life
Matt was going through a range of emotions. At just 30, he was a widower and a proud new father. He and Liz had made all of the preparations to raise Maddy together, and now it was just him. He was enamored of his baby daughter immediately but still dealing with crushing grief. He held Maddy in his arms and tried to find comfort with the fact she’d never been held by her own mother.
9. Remembering Liz
Liz’s funeral came and after it, he went to the hospital to do the very thing his wife should’ve done too, feed their daughter a bottle. Still wearing his suit, he held the newborn and looked into her eyes. Soon Maddy was released from the hospital, and he took her home. There, in their house, it felt like there was a sign of life again. The next few weeks after Liz’s death were hell for Matt. He wore her wedding ring and as the clock hit 3:11, he felt himself remember that horrible moment that his and Maddy’s lives changed forever. Strangers would often ask where the baby’s mother was when he would go out, and he would reply, “She passed away the day after the baby was born.”
8. Going On
Matt knew that life had to continue and he knew that Liz’s spirit lived on in Maddy. It was horrible for him to realize that Liz wouldn’t be able to share the joys of new parenthood. He decided to share his thoughts and find comfort in online, just as he had shared the pregnancy milestones. Matt began to post to a local newspaper parenting forum. Then he went to the pregnancy blog he and Liz kept.
7. A New Chapter
Matt began making personal entries about parenting and found comfort in writing about it all. He realized that the grief didn’t need to overwhelm him and he could go on, day by day. Connecting to other parents who were in the same situation could provide support as well. Matt was determined to raise Maddy the best way he could without Liz. He made sure that Maddy knew what a great mother she had and shared those memories online on his blog. He never knew who else was watching and soon the blog would have a huge effect on his life in a way he didn’t see coming.
6. An Online Scrapbook
Matt had renamed the blog to “Matt, Liz and Madeline: Life and Death, All in a 27-Hour Period” and was using it as a virtual scrapbook for Maddy as she grew older. She would be able to read it and see her mom as Matt saw her. But the Internet is an amazing thing and soon, Matt was all over. Other parents would share parenting tips and he had made a forum for single parents in the same situation. His website was receiving about a million visits a month. What was next?
5. An Outlet
Single fathers were able to connect with Matt and each other. His blog had become an amazing catharsis for many, and it was inspiring to watch. Strangers even started sending baby supplies for Matt to help him through this difficult time and he was blown away. Their gifts included stuffed animals, clothes, baby grooming products and more — things he could’ve bought with Liz were now being given with love. Matt had so many gifts he decided to do something good in Liz’s name and set up a charity, the Liz Logelin Foundation.
4. Charitable Actions
The Foundation was staffed by volunteers and ran fundraising events in Liz’s memory. One event raised $4,400 and it was intended for Matt to help with Maddy, but he did something to honor Liz: he gave the money to other grieving single parents. The charity now holds an annual Celebration of Hope gala near her hometown and includes a 5K, since Liz was a runner. But her legacy continued in a new way…
3. A Love Letter
Matt considered his blog a love letter to Maddy and Liz. He told The Daily Mail that he wanted Maddy to see that he went on despite their tragedy but that he didn’t know if it would continue forever.
2. Taking Flight
Matt decided to quit his job and travel around the world with Maddy, just like he had done with Liz. He decided that the blog was a good start for a memoir and began writing his experiences down. The memoir was titled Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love and was an instant bestseller.
1. Life Now
Matt and Maddy continued Liz’s legacy and he dared a woman named Brooke for awhile. Things didn’t last hower, but the popularity of his book did. It was optioned for a movie by Channing Tatum and in 2016, Matt wrote another book, a picture book called Be Glad Your Dad (Is Not an Octopus). As for Maddy, she is thriving and even engaged in charitable events herself. She turned 10 in 2018. Her father ended up finding love again as well and kept it hidden until fans sleuthed out the truth: he married Lizzie Molyneux, a writer from Bob’s Burgers in February 2018. Now the three of them — Maddy, Matt and Lizzie — are starting a new chapter together.