ORLANDO, Fla. – Many probably thought the rainbow that crossed the sky late Sunday afternoon at Bay Hill was just Arnold Palmer looking down on the latest champion of his tournament.
Akshay Bhatia knew better.
“I had my niece definitely watching over me,” Bhatia said of his niece, Mia, who died in December at 6 years old. “When I saw that rainbow on 18, it reminded me of her.”
Mia was born with pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency (PDCD), a rare, genetic disease that is often fatal in early childhood. Bhatia said Mia’s doctors didn’t expect her to make it to her first birthday, but she lived to see six of them.
“She was a fighter for a long time,” Bhatia said.
Mia traveled with her family to the Abaco Club in the Bahamas, where Bhatia and his now wife, Presleigh, were set to wed, in mid-December. But on the morning of the Bhatia’s big day, Dec. 13, Mia passed in one of the on-site homes at the club, called, “Heaven on Earth.”
“Something that feels both extraordinary and comforting,” said Presleigh.
“The night before, she was surrounded by everyone who loved her wrapped in peace, comfort, and so much love,” Presleigh added. “It was heartbreaking, beautiful, and impossible to fully understand all at once. … She was strong, joyful, and deeply loved. In her final moments, she was in paradise, and now she is in heaven.”
From the highest of vantage points, Mia got to witness her uncle shoot 5-under 31 on Bay Hill’s back nine on Sunday, erasing a five-shot deficit to Daniel Berger, then defeating Berger on the first playoff hole to capture his third career PGA Tour title.
“I told my sister, you know, I’ve been thinking about her for a long time after she passed,” Bhatia said, “and dedicated this win for her.”