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Victoria Anne Simmons is the daughter of Joseph Simmons. Victoria Anne Simmons’ father Joseph, better known by the stage name Run, Rev. Run or DJ Run, is an American rapper, producer, DJ, and television personality. Joseph Simmons is one of the founding members of the influential hip-hop group Run-DMC. He is also a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run.

Victoria Anne Simmons: Bio Summary

Victoria Anne Simmons was born and died on September 26, 2006, to her parents, Joseph Simmons and Justine Simmons. She was four pounds, five ounces when she was delivered via caesarean section. Midway through the pregnancy, her parents learned that their daughter had serious complications, but the couple decided to move ahead with the pregnancy anyway.

Victoria Anne Simmons Cause of Death

Joseph Simmons’ daughter, Victoria died shortly after being born reportedly due to omphalocele, a birth defect that caused her organs to grow outside her body. The Simmons family decided to allow camera crews to be in the hospital room as they broke the news to their children.

The family wanted to show their viewers how, as a family, they dealt with the tragedy. They were filming their family TV show. Afterward, they went to a hearing to adopt Miley Justine Simmons.

“On September 26, 2006, Victoria Anne Simmons for some unknown reason chose to come early and unfortunately did not survive,” Rev Run, revealed in a statement that was issued on his behalf by MTV, after the passing of Victoria Anne. “We must accept whatever is there and once you accept unconditionally, then everything is beautiful. Every pain has a purifying effect.”

In their new book, Old School Love: And Why It Works, Rev. Run and his wife, Justine Simmons shared how they dealt with and healed from their grief of losing their daughter Victoria. They also talked about how within a year, they were able to adopt their daughter Miley Justine, now 14.

“I had carried Victoria Anne full-term; she was in me, a part of me. I could feel her every single day in me,” writes Justine, 54, while reflecting on the days following her daughter’s death. “Joey found comfort in God and being with me. I found comfort going under the covers. For the most part, on most days, I was trying to heal my body, heal my sadness, heal my sorrow, and heal my heart … I was lonely for my child.”

Despite the pain of the death of their death, Victoria Anne Simmons, both Justine and Rev Run never questioned God’s decision for taking her away. “We know Victoria is with God in a wonderful place looking down on us, and that’s probably why we have a lot of blessings going on now,” Justine told PEOPLE in March 2007.

Victoria is not the only child of her parents, Rev Run and Justine were already parents to five children when Victoria Anne was born. Her siblings are Russell Simmons II, Vanessa Simmons, Diggy Simmons,  Angela Simmons, Miley Justine Simmons, and Joseph Simmons Jr.

After Justine had healed, Rev Run asked his wife if she’d like to adopt a baby — an idea she’d floated by him before they conceived Victoria Anne, according to the book.

“When he said those words, all my pain melted. That was what I really wanted to do,” Justine writes. “That was God’s plan from the beginning; I knew it, I felt it, deep in my soul and in my heart.”

“There are still times that I forget that I didn’t actually carry her, birth her. Miley is as much from my body as Victoria was,” writes Justine. “I want all women to know that if they can’t conceive a baby or carry a baby, adoption is truly a miracle.”

Victoria Anne Simmons’s mother, Justine continues, “To be able to give a baby love, to be able to give a baby a home, to be able to give a baby a good life — that’s the miracle.”

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