Calif. firefighter mourns wife's unexpected death after delivering twins

FRESNO, Calif. -- Nick Reeder's life was just coming into focus last week. Four years ago, he found Amanda Sawyer.

"We met on an online profile, yeah and we had a blind date and were inseparable after that date. It was love at first sight definitely," Reeder said.

Reeder said she did it all: mother, worker, wife. He said she loved that he was a firefighter, even decorating their home with fire memorabilia.

They had their daughter, Layla, three years ago. Last year, she used fire gear to let him know she was pregnant again.

Sawyer gave birth to healthy twins last Monday.

She met Kelce and Kaia, then took a quick turn for the worst.

"She passed out and then the doctors jumped in immediately," Reeder said.

An aneurysm ended Sawyer's life after just 37 years. Reeder is now stuck thinking about life without her.

"I can get through it. I can do it. I'm a fireman. I fix things. That's what I do. So I'm going to be able to make this happen. I'm going to make this work, but it's not going to be by myself," Reeder said.

His mother and sister are helping out. But Reeder was also referring to his fire family and others, who started a meal train to keep Sawyer's five kids fed.

Nearly 400 people also contributed more than $30,000 in three days on a GoFundMe page.

"Not surprised, because I knew Amanda was loved by many - but impressed how fast it's come together," Reeder said.

The pain is still raw, but Reeder said he wants to share his story, to warn people it can happen even to healthy new mothers. He also wanted to let everyone know about the love of his life.

"I want people to know because - I don't know - because she was amazing," Reeder said.