Vivek Ramaswamy Opens Up About the Loss of His First Child

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, recently opened up about a deeply personal and painful experience: the loss of his first child with his wife Apoorva.

This revelation came during an evangelical Christian forum in Iowa, where Ramaswamy was joined by fellow candidates Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. The forum’s focus was on the topic of abortion, and it was here that Ramaswamy chose to share a story he had never publicly disclosed before.

“I actually haven’t shared this story before, but just about a personal experience and so I’m gonna dip below the logic here so Apoorva, my wife you … she’s a throat surgeon … she began her surgical training in 2015. And that’s the year we got married,” Ramaswamy stated.

Ramaswamy then delved into the details of his marriage, highlighting the intense work commitments he and Apoorva faced. Despite their busy schedules, the couple was overjoyed to discover they were expecting their first child during their fourth year of marriage. They eagerly shared the news with friends and family and even wrote a letter to their unborn child, filled with stories and lessons they hoped to impart.

“We wrote a letter to our child — what we wanted to impart, what were the stories from our parents and our grandparents we wanted to tell. And about three and a half months in, you know, Apoorva — one day she woke up, she said, ‘I’m bleeding.’ She had a miscarriage. And we lost our first child,” Ramaswamy said, visibly emotional.

Ramaswamy described the profound impact this loss had on their family, particularly on Apoorva, who fell into a state of depression, emphasizing the crucial role their faith played in helping them cope with the tragedy.

“And that was the loss of a life. It was our family’s loss. And you know Apoorva, she is probably one of the most upbeat, strong, positive people you will meet. She went into a state of depression after that. And our faith is what got us through it, actually. Our faith teaches us that, you know, our child joined his creator and one day we will too.”

The story continued with Ramaswamy sharing the challenges they faced during the pregnancy of their second son. In a poignant moment, one of Ramaswamy’s sons joined him on stage, greeted by applause and smiles from the host and fellow candidates.

Ramaswamy’s candid telling of this personal experience comes at a time when he is competing for the Republican primary nominee spot, currently holding 5.2% in the polls according to a FiveThirtyEight poll.