Richard Engel, NBC News' chief foreign correspondent, broke the sad news that his 6-year-old son Henry passed away on Thursday. Engel and his wife have been open about their child's battle with a rare genetic condition.
"Our beloved son Henry has passed away."Engelwrote on Twitter. "He had very soft blue eyes, a gentle smile and a giggly smile. We always surrounded him with love and he gave it back. There was more than that.”
Our beloved son Henry passed away. He had very soft blue eyes, a gentle smile, and a charming chuckle. We always surrounded him with love and he gave it back. Mary and Richard. https://t.co/M8LV8SHv6r pic.twitter.com/21Ja6TOtjH
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 18, 2022
Henry, born in September 2015, Texas Children's Hospital websitetributes to Henry, indicated that Henry had not reached the developmental stage. I was still an infant when my parents first found out.
Through genetic testing, the doctor learned that he had a mutation in the MECP2 gene. This mutation causes Rett syndrome. It usually affects girls past their first birthday, robbing them of learned skills and leaving them with cognitive impairment, loss of speech and various motor deficits," the hospital said.
Henry had been under treatment at the Duncan Neurological Institute at Texas Children's Hospital since 2018.
Henry's mutation called him "special in so many ways."
"His affectionate and lovely smile and the way he connected with his eyes stole my heart from the moment I met him," Zogbi said in a statement. “His silent battle against this terrible disease has been incredible. But what is most amazing is the impact Henry has had on so many people at Duncan NRI and on Rhett's research.
In another tweet on Thursday, Engel said:
Researchers use Henry's cells to cure Rett syndrome so others don't have to endure this terrible disease. , is making amazing progress.To help research: https://t.co/M8LV8SHv6r pic.twitter.com/UNnDONMtR1
— Richard Engel (@ RichardEngel) 18 Aug 2022
Engel shared updates on Henry over the years,2018 and In 2019, he wrote an essay about both the joys and sorrows his family experienced.
In a later essay, Engel said that his son had "finally given him 'Dada'." Told.
"It was an unexpected treat for a long wait," he wrote.
At the end of May, Engel tweeted, calling Henry's video "going down the wrong path."
"His condition progressed and he developed dystonia. Uncontrollable tremors/stiffness," he shared. "He was in the hospital for six weeks and now he's home and loved by his brother Theo."
Sophie Reardon is news editor for CBS News is a person. Her contact is sophie.reardon@viacomcbs.com
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