Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon returns from tragic loss of son

Eli Raridon is set to report back to work with the New England Patriots on Wednesday, but he will likely carry a heavy heart. The rookie tight end from Notre Dame and his wife, Anna, made the heartbreaking announcement Tuesday that their baby boy has passed away due to anencephaly. This fatal birth defect prevents the forebrain and cerebrum from forming while the fetus is still in the womb. There exists no cure or standard treatment for this condition today. Roughly 75 percent of pregnancies affected by it end in stillbirth. Infants who do survive are born alive but usually pass away within a few hours or days.

Anna Raridon wrote on her Instagram account that their hearts changed forever after the 20-week anatomy scan. They went in expecting to see their sweet baby boy, only to learn he would not survive outside the womb. While devastated by being unable to bring him home, she expressed gratitude for loving him deeply during the nine months they shared before he was called back to Heaven. She chose to lean into her faith rather than getting lost in unspeakable pain.

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, Anna continued. They may never understand the why behind this journey, yet they know with certainty that God promises to care for His children. She believes their little boy was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by families, friends, Eli, and her. Though his time was brief, his life remained precious and meaningful, and he will forever be a part of their story.

The Raridons left a final message for him: 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. The CDC reports that about one in every 4,762 babies is born with anencephaly. That represents roughly .02 percent of live births. While the defect is not necessarily common, it is quite personal for this family. Literature states that the recurrence rate jumps dramatically to between 2 percent and 5 percent after one pregnancy is affected. There is a 95 to 98 percent chance they will never be touched by this condition again, yet their concern must remain real given the statistics.

Anna shared Scripture she is leaning on during this terrible time: 1 Peter 1:5-7 says those who are being guarded through faith for salvation rejoice even when grieved by trials so that tested genuineness of faith may be found to result in praise and glory. And James 1:2-4 advises counting it all joy when meeting trials because the testing of faith produces steadfastness. This process allows one to become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.