Tragic Details About NBC's Dylan Dreyer

Since joining the NBC News family in 2012, Dylan Dreyer built a successful career as a meteorologist and "Today" co-host. In 2021, she also added "author" to her list of titles with the release of her weather-inspired children's book, "Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day." Work also brought her soulmate into her life, as she met cameraman Brian Fichera during her time at Boston's WHDH. Together, they created a family, welcoming three boys between 2016 and 2021. With a stellar career and a great family, it's easy to think Dreyer's life has been picture-perfect. But she has faced her fair share of hard times.

Dreyer's motherhood journey was especially difficult. She experienced a lot of unknowns when it came to creating the family she envisioned, including infertility issues, pregnancy complications, and neonatal hospitalization. The family is also no stranger to health hurdles. But she would do it all over again to have her sons. That wasn't always the case, though.

Before welcoming their eldest in 2016, Dreyer and Fichera had a different take on parenthood. "For a long time, Brian and I, we weren't really sure if we wanted kids. We were kind of happy with our life," Dreyer told "Today" in 2019. During her first pregnancy, she continued to doubt whether they had made the right decision. "Really scared to death," she confessed. "My life's going to change." Then she had her first, and her forecast was proved correct. The journey was no walk in the park, but Dreyer wouldn't change a thing.

Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera always wanted their son Calvin to have a sibling. Because they faced no struggles the first time, they didn't expect they would encounter any barriers when trying for baby No. 2. But six months came and went with no double lines popping up on the pregnancy test. Because she was over 35, her doctor referred her to a specialist. She learned her egg count was low and that her uterus had excessive scarring from her previous emergency C-section.

Dreyer was diagnosed with secondary infertility, which happens when women who successfully had a child or children before struggle to conceive afterward. "I didn't know secondary infertility was a thing!" she told "Today" in 2019. After undergoing surgery to remove scar tissue, she got a positive test. She and Fichera were over the moon. Then, she started bleeding. "I think I lost the baby," she told Fichera.

After processing their heartbreak, they decided to give IVF a try. "I'm scared about what's ahead ... the timing, the shots, the medications, whether or not it'll even work," she wrote in a Today piece. It turned out she didn't need to worry. Before starting, she discovered she was pregnant. "I was just waiting for the phone call from Dr. [David] Reichman, to tell me how much of each drug to use," she told People. "Instead, when he called, he said, 'Well, you can't start IVF because you're already pregnant!" Oliver was born in January 2020. 

Dylan Dreyer was devastated about her struggles to conceive after welcoming Calvin. But she didn't feel she had the right to feel that way. After all, she already had a beautiful baby. When she decided to come forward with her fertility issues, Dreyer expected to get criticism. She even addressed the issue in her Today essay. "I need to preface this with a disclaimer so as not to offend anyone. I'm so very grateful for the beautiful family I have," she wrote.

In her mind, the right to grieve over miscarriages and negative pregnancy tests was restricted to couples who couldn't even have one child. "Going into it, I thought I was going to get a little bit of negative pushback — kind of like, 'Well, you already have a son, so be happy for what you have,'" she told People. But after learning that what she was going through had a name and that other women experienced the same heartbreak and pain, she decided it was worth the risk of receiving criticism. 

After initially keeping her fertility journey private, Dreyer opened up in an effort to bring attention to the issue and give hope to others who might be in a similar situation. "I just want people to know that, yeah, I'm kind of going through it with you," she said in the "Today" interview. But she was pleasantly surprised. "I was so overwhelmed by the positive feedback and the overwhelming support, she told People. 

Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera continued to stumble upon obstacles in their parenting journey. Like the second time, they struggled to conceive when they tried to add a third baby to their brood. Because they already had two, they chose not to attempt IVF or other measures. Their doctor advised them to keep trying but not to focus too much on it. "Sure enough, that's what we did!" Dreyer told "Today." Relaxing and watching lots of steamy TV helped.

In early 2021, Dreyer got pregnant again. "When two people are quarantined together for over a year and ["Bridgerton"] is on...." Fichera captioned his Instagram announcement that May. But Dreyer experienced pregnancy complications with her third child. In late September 2021, Dreyer's water broke at only 33 weeks, nearly two months early. "I've been hanging at the hospital," she shared on Instagram. At that point, Dreyer had been at the hospital for a couple of days in hopes of delaying labor. "Doctors are closely monitoring both of us and trying to keep him on the inside for a little while longer to get stronger," she wrote.

But Russell was born almost six weeks early despite all efforts and had to be transferred to the NICU. Thankfully, he handled it well and was discharged about a week later. "Man it feels real good to be home together!!!" Dreyer celebrated on Instagram. After her difficult journey, Dreyer is done having kids. Her family is complete.

When Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera's eldest son, Calvin, was about 5, he began to experience unrelenting digestive issues that caused intense pain. The parents spent a full year trying to help their boy, but to no avail. "There was one time the pain was so bad that we thought maybe he had something like his appendix burst," Dreyer told Today in 2023. "He was hunched over in pain." A trip to the emergency room showed nothing wrong with his appendix.

But Dreyer and Fichera knew something was wrong and were determined to get to the root cause. In March 2023, blood work showed Calvin had celiac disease, an autoimmune condition characterized by an extreme reaction to gluten that damages the small intestines. "I knew nothing about celiac disease. I knew a friend of a friend had it, and she couldn't eat bread. That's basically the knowledge I had," Dreyer said.

The diagnosis led to a major lifestyle change not only for Calvin but for the entire family. In the Dreyer-Fichera household, no one eats gluten. "It works for us and takes a lot of stress off of us at home," Dreyer captioned an Instagram post. It's leaving the house that poses the hardest obstacles. "You know what takes up a lot of space in your suitcase when traveling with celiac disease ... POTS AND PANS AND GF PANCAKE MIX AND SPATULAS AND KNIVES AND CUTTING BOARDS AND SILVERWARE," she wrote on Instagram.

Dylan Dreyer's breastfeeding journey was tough from the beginning. With Calvin, she was determined to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. She thought the first three months went well and that Calvin was naturally slim. But at his three-month checkup, the doctor had some disconcerting news. "He said, '[Calvin]'s getting about half of what he should get in a typical day,'" she told People in 2017. Dreyer was left in tears. "I felt like I'd let him down and my body couldn't do what Calvin needed me to do," she said.

Dreyer began supplementing with formula but continued to breastfeed. Her second time attempting to breastfeed wasn't much easier. Oliver had a hard time with it, so Dreyer mainly pumped milk for him. She didn't like it but pushed through for her baby. "Pumping gave me such dysphoria ... a feeling that wasn't really a depression, just a momentary fleeting feeling of hatred toward everyone and everything in the moment and a feeling of nausea that was sickening," she revealed in a 2021 Instagram post.

Yet, she still had a hard time quitting when she reached the one-year mark. "Maybe it's because I know this is likely the end of this era in my life. A sadness that I'm moving into the next phase of my adulthood. Or maybe it's the DAMN HORMONES!!!! WTF???" she shared. Despite her struggles, Dreyer also breastfed Russell — and continued to open up about its ups and downs.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Having a child undergo surgery is hard enough, but Dylan Dreyer had two of her sons face medical procedures at the same time. To make the situation more complicated, Calvin and Oliver's surgeries took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Calvin had to have his tonsils removed when he was 3, while Oliver was just 6 months old when he had his undisclosed procedure. "Back-to-back routine, but necessary, surgeries for my boys!" Dreyer shared on Instagram.

They handled the procedures well, and Dreyer was happy to put the ordeal behind her. "They're home and on the mend and I'm sure glad these past few days are over," she wrote. She was a wreck after, but her boys were back to their old selves in no time. "To put both my 3 1/2 and 6-month-old through that was stressful, but kids are just amazing," she told "Today." "Calvin laughed through his COVID test, and Ollie was smiling the whole time. Kids just handle things totally differently than we do."

Dreyer had to accompany the boys to the hospital alone because of the pandemic restrictions, making for a never-ending day. Oliver was just a baby, so she had to haul the pump and everything else along. "And then the diaper bag, and I'm also carrying Oliver, and it was just like trying to carry everything was stressful enough," she said. "And then post-surgery, trying to carry him out delicately was a lot."

In October 2023, Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera said goodbye to a good friend. Tim Wakefield's death came as a shock to most, as the public had been unaware he had brain cancer until days before. To make his death even more tragic, the former Red Sox pitcher's widow, Stacy (both seen above with Fichera), also died less than five months later from pancreatic cancer. "Heartbroken. A friendship I'll cherish forever and a family I'll love forever. Rest in peace Stacy. I miss you Timmy. Brianna and Trevor we love you," Fichera captioned an Instagram post, referring to the Wakefields' children.

Three months after Tim's death, Dreyer honored his memory on social media. She had been participating in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions golf competition when a special moment made her think of him.  "A few months ago, we lost our dear friend #timwakefield. They honored him with his number on hole 18 at #hgvlpga. [Fichera] and I had tears in our eyes when my ball landed within 10 feet from this tribute," she shared with her Instagram followers in January 2024. "We miss you every day Wake!!"

Dreyer met Wakefield thanks to golf, so she continues to keep his presence alive through the sport. In July 2024, she had golf balls customized with the number 49, which he had worn on his jersey. "Miss you and we're thinking about you guys up there!" she wrote on Instagram.