New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna Raridon, announced Tuesday that their baby boy died of anencephaly, a fatal birth defect in which the forebrain and cerebrum fail to form in the womb.
Raridon, a rookie out of Notre Dame, was expected to report to the Patriots on Wednesday.
Anencephaly has no cure or standard treatment. About 75% of affected pregnancies end in stillbirth, and infants born alive typically survive only hours or days.
Anna Raridon shared the news on Instagram, describing the moment the diagnosis came at a 20-week anatomy scan.
“When Eli and I went in for our 20-week anatomy scan, excited to see our sweet baby boy, our hearts were forever changed,” she wrote. “Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb.”
“While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past 9 months before he was called back to Heaven.”
Anna wrote that she has turned to her faith during the loss.
“I have often found it easy to glorify the Lord when life is going well, but it is in our deepest trials that we are drawn closest to Him,” she continued. “We may never understand the why behind this journey, but one thing we know with certainty is that God promises to care for His children.”
“I believe our little boy was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by our families, our friends, Eli, and me. Though his time with us was brief, his life still precious, his purpose still meaningful, and he will forever be a part of our story.”
The couple closed with a message to their son:
“I have loved you every second of your life and will miss you every second of mine. What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be.”
According to the CDC’s Data and Statistics on Birth Defects, roughly 1 in every 4,762 babies is born with anencephaly, about 0.02% of live births. The condition is uncommon overall, but the recurrence rate after one affected pregnancy rises to between 2% and 5%, meaning the Raridons have a 95%-98% chance of not being affected by it again in a future pregnancy.
Anna Raridon also shared two Bible passages that she said have helped her through the loss: 1 Peter 1:5-7 and James 1:2-4.
