A mother of 14 children talks about her grief over her daughter’s death

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A mother who gave birth to 14 children in 21 years has opened up about her decision to continue growing her family after losing three-month-old daughter to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Heiney and Sarah Wolfgram of Menton, California, met through a shared love of music and married after touring together. She was 20 when they welcomed their first child in 1996.

“When we met, fell in love and got married, we both thought that if it was God’s will and we could, we would have a beautiful, big family, just like the one we came from,” said Sarah, 47. Good morning, America.

Heaney, who is the bassist in the family’s pop band The Jets, is one of 17 children, while Sarah has eight siblings of her own.

Sara Wolfgram, 47, of Mentone, California, told Good Morning America that she had 14 children in 21 years

Sara and her husband Heini Wolfgram (pictured with their children) both came from large families.  Sarah's cousin, Amelia Lyon, has been photographing them for years

Sara and her husband Heini Wolfgram (pictured with their children) both came from large families. Sarah’s cousin Amelia Lyon photographed them for many years

The couple's 12th child, Saria, suffered a devastating loss after their three-month-old daughter Saria died of SIDS in 2014.  She was their 12th child (pictured)

The couple have been devastated by the death of their 12th child Saria (pictured)

“I just think at the time, we didn’t really think we were going to have more than, I don’t know, three or four kids,” Haney, 55, shared. “But it just went on and on, and you know, it was great. I mean, we both love it.’

Tragedy struck the Wolfgram family in 2014 when their 12th child, Saria, died of SIDS after being euthanized. SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby under the age of one.

Sarah told how her husband went to check on the three-month-old baby in the middle of the night and found her not breathing.

“I just heard this scream from him and he said, ‘She’s not breathing!’ She’s not breathing!” she recalls.

The couple’s children found comfort in each other after the terrible loss of their younger sister.

Heaney is the bass guitarist for the family pop band The Jets (pictured).

Heaney is the bass guitarist for the family pop band The Jets (pictured).

Heini and Sarah met through a shared love of music and married after touring together

Heini and Sarah met through a shared love of music and married after touring together

Heini and Sarah met through a shared love of music and married after touring together

Haini told GMA that at first they thought they would only have three or four children.  “It just went on and on and you know, it was great.  I mean, we both love it,” he said

Haini told GMA that at first they thought they would only have three or four children. “It just went on and on and you know, it was great. I mean, we both love it,” he said

The couple's daughter Tikhane told how she and her siblings leaned on each other after the terrible loss of their younger sister

The couple’s daughter Tikhane told how she and her siblings leaned on each other after the terrible loss of their younger sister

Sarah said that she and her husband received

Sarah said that she and her husband received “13 crowns and halos” after Sarah’s death. Their older children followed in their footsteps with their band 13 Crowns

“I think we got through the death of our sister because we can rely on each other and comfort each other,” their daughter Tihane told GMA. “So I think having a big family made a big difference in that difficult time.”

Heini and Sara were grieving for their daughter when they realized they wanted another child.

“We had this thought: ‘Do we want this to be the end of our family? Is this how we want the last chapter of our lives to be?” Sarah explained.

“I made a conscious decision to get on my knees and ask God, ‘If you give me strength, I will take a leap of faith and take another one.’

The couple welcomed another daughter in 2015, a year after they lost Sariah. Their youngest child, who was born a few years later, in 2017, was a pleasant surprise.

The Wolfgram family went viral late last year after sharing a 42-second video of Sarah hugging each of her children.  She was 20 years old when she had her first child in 1996

The Wolfgram family went viral late last year after sharing a 42-second video of Sarah hugging each of her children. She was 20 years old when she had her first child in 1996

In 2015, Sarah and Haina had their 13th child.  The rainbow baby was born a year after Saria's death

In 2015, Sarah and Haina had their 13th child.  The rainbow baby was born a year after Saria's death

In 2015, Sarah and Haina had their 13th child. The rainbow baby was born a year after Saria’s death

Baby number 14 was a

Baby number 14 was a “complete surprise” and the couple named their youngest child Joy

‘[God] blessed us with a beautiful rainbow baby number 13, and two and a half years later, completely surprised because I didn’t expect to get pregnant again, we had a bonus baby,” Sarah said of their 14th child, whom they named Joy.

“So we know we have 13 crowns and halos and Sarah is our angel who always guides our family and we feel her spirit is present in our home.”

The seven eldest children of Heini and Sarah — Eva, Heinrich, Isabella, Tihane, Abraham, Mikeli and Nora — followed in their parents’ musical footsteps and formed their own group, 13 Crowns.

The Wolfgram family documented life on the 13 Crowns TikTok page, and late last year they went viral after sharing 42-second video as Sarah embraces each of her children.

The text on the screen indicated the years she had each child, along with her age at the time. The clip ended with five-year-old Joy running to her mother.

“14 children in 21 years,” the last caption proclaimed.

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