Richard Engel, the head foreign correspondent for NBC News, revealed on Thursday that his 6-year-old son Henry had passed away.
Henry, our cherished son, passed away. He glowed with an infectious laugh, the sweetest blue eyes, and a simple smile. He was always surrounded by our love, and he gave it to us in spades. Richard and Mary,” said Engel on Twitter. In order to learn more about Henry’s life and his diagnosis of Rett syndrome, a genetic brain condition for which there is neither a therapy nor a cure, Engel provided a link to a memorial page on the Texas Children’s Hospital website. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reports that Rett syndrome can result in intellectual incapacity, loss of hand function, walking difficulties, seizures, and decreased brain and head growth.
Henry, who was born on September 29, 2015, had a while to meet some developmental milestones as a baby. His MECP2 gene had a mutation, as determined by a genetic test and a set of physical examinations. Henry, who was born on September 29, 2015, had a while to meet some developmental milestones as a baby. His MECP2 gene had a mutation, as determined by a genetic test and a set of physical examinations.
Rett syndrome, which primarily affects girls after their first birthday and causes cognitive deficiencies, speech loss, and a variety of movement issues, is brought on by MECP2 mutations, according to the Texas Children’s Hospital page.
In order to get more information, the Engel family brought Henry to the hospital’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute in 2018. Dr. Huda Zoghbi, the founding director of Duncan NRI, carefully examined Henry’s mutation.Henry was unique in a lot of ways. I fell in love with him the moment I first met him because of his adoring grin and the way he looked into my eyes. His modest struggle against this awful illness was amazing, she penned in a tribute.
Henry, according to Zoghbi, had a profound impact on the entire Duncan NRI team and its Rett research. “We’ll keep working as hard as we can to develop cures. We shall remember him in this way, she said. Co-host Hoda Kotb remarked, “We’re all sending our love to Richard, Mary, and Theo.” The host lamented that “so many people watching our show see Richard standing in a hazardous location covering something unknowing that at home he was fighting what is the hardest battle.” According to Kotb, “I remember Mary talking about how she was taking care of him, how she used to carry him in a baby Bjorn all around the home and that’s how she went through a lot of his life.
