Family Welcomes New Baby 2 Years After an Alligator Killed Their Son at Disney World
Matt and Melissa Graves welcomed a little boy this month, just two years after an alligator killed their son while they were vacationing at Disney World.
“We are happy to announce the birth of our son, Christian Lane Graves. Although we know the pain of losing Lane will never go away, we feel God has blessed our family with this precious miracle of life,” the couple said in a statement Wednesday.
The Graves also have a daughter, Ella.
“Although we know the pain of losing Lane will never go away, we feel God has blessed our family with this precious miracle of life,” the couple said. “We know Ella and Christian have their brother, Lane, watching over them as their guardian angel.”
The statement continued, “The love and support we continue to receive from so many is greatly appreciated, but we ask that our desire for privacy continue to be honored.”
On June 14, 2016, an alligator snatched 2-year-old Lane off the bank at Disney’s Grand Floridian. An autopsy concluded the alligator drowned Lane.
“We just met with the family and spent some time with them and delivered this update,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the next day. “They do appreciate all of the prayers that have gone forward. It was a tough message to deliver to them, to let them know that their child is dead.”
Demings said a Catholic priest accompanied him to deliver the devastating news.
The Graves family launched the Lane Thomas foundation in their child’s honor.
According to the website, the Lane Thomas Foundation was established to give honor and light to Lane’s life. The foundation is dedicated to supporting families of children needing life-saving organ transplants.
