NBC Foreign News Correspondent Shares Heartbreaking News About 6-Year-Old Son, And Efforts To Find A ‘Cure For His Disease’

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel shared heartbreaking news that his six-year-old son Henry has died as he announced efforts to find “a cure” for his rare disease.

The news correspondent announced the tragic news Thursday that he and wife Mary Forrest’s only child had passed away after being diagnosed with Rett syndrome following a variety of neurological issues.

“Our beloved son Henry passed away,” Engel shared in a message on Twitter. “He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and a contagious giggle. We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more. Mary and Richard.”

Our beloved son Henry passed away.  He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and a contagious giggle.  We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more.  Mary and Richard. https://t.co/M8LV8SHv6r pic.twitter.com/21Ja6TOtjH

— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 18, 2022

Engel’s post included a link to the Texas Children’s Hospital’s Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI). The site included a touching message about his child’s battle and raising funds to hopefully find a cure for other kids.

“Henry Engel was born on September 29, 2015,” the message read. “When he was still an infant, his parents noticed that he was not reaching his developmental milestones, and he underwent numerous medical exams to discover the cause.”

“A genetic test ultimately provided the answer: Henry had a mutation in his MECP2 gene,” the message added. “MECP2 mutations cause Rett syndrome, a disorder that typically affects girls after their first birthday, robbing them of learned skills and leaving them with cognitive deficits, loss of speech, and a variety of motor difficulties.”

“In 2018, Henry and his family came to Texas Children’s Hospital’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI),” it continued. “Since then, Henry’s mutation has been studied by Dr. Huda Zoghbi, who discovered that MECP2 mutations cause Rett syndrome.”

The message on the memorial page explained that “Henry made the best of every single day” and “worked tirelessly in his many physical and developmental therapies.” It also talked about what an “inspiration” Henry continues to be for the medical team working to find a cure to his syndrome.

The letter closed out by noting how the Engel family “has requested that those who wish to honor” Henry’s memory “kindly direct contributions to support our continued research efforts.” The link to that page for those interested can be found here.

Shortly after the NBC News reporter shared the message about his son’s death, fellow members of the media and news commentators reached out to show their support. The list included Bari Weiss, Geraldo Rivera, Piers Morgan, and so many more.

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