Reporter Poppy Harlow, meanwhile, cannot help but break down in tears when reading her colleague's heartbreaking letter for Blake, who died on Wednesday, April 15.
- Apr 17, 2021
AceShowbiz - Rene Marsh is mourning the death of her young child. Revealing that her 2-year-old son Blake lost his battle with brain cancer on Wednesday, April 14, the CNN Correspondent took to social media to express her heartbreak over the tragic loss.
On Thursday, April 15, Rene made use of Instagram to share several pictures of the toddler. In the accompanying message, she wrote, "To my dear sweet Blake aka 'Blakey'. In your 25 months on earth you taught me how much strength I had stored up in reserve that I didn't know I had. You taught me endurance. You taught me a depth of love I have never experienced."
"You inspired me to keep going when I wanted to give up. You helped me prioritize what is truly important in this life," the journalist continued. "I am forever changed because of you, my son. I feel blessed and honored to have been your mom. I wish we had more time together but I'm grateful for the time we had."
The grieving mom went on to reminisce about how Blake had brought joy into her life. "The good times we shared are forever in my heart. You loved being outside," she raved. "You loved cruising the neighborhood in your drop top electric car, with the music on as you tried so hard to snap your fingers. You loved humming classical music. Your favorite was Mozart's Serenade no. 13."
Rene then opened up about the extent of loss. "I didn't just lose you Blakey, I lost all the dreams and hopes that a mom has for a son. I lost my motherhood and I'm mourning it all," she noted, before adding, "I am dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer for the rest of my life. I will do it not just to spare other parents from this unbearable pain but I will do it to forever honor you, Blake."
Rene then concluded her tribute by writing, "Your life was not in vain my sweet angel." She further declared, "Mommy loves you and I look forward to holding and kissing you when we meet again. 3/14/19 - 4/14/21."
On Friday, April 16, Rene's colleagues Poppy Harlow and John Berman read the former's tribute in full while on-air. "We want to end this show on something very personal and take a moment to remember a very special member of the CNN family, our colleague, our beloved colleague Rene Marsh's two-year-old son Blake passed away Wednesday after battling cancer," Poppy began.
"In a touching message to her son, and we're going to read you the whole thing because we think it really matters, Rene writes this," Poppy stated as Rene's letter was shown on the screen. While reading the post, Poppy cannot help but break down in tears.
