New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, are leaning on their Christian faith after announcing the heartbreaking loss of their baby boy.
Anna revealed that their son was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal birth defect, during what the couple expected to be a joyful 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,” Anna wrote on Instagram. “Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb.”
Anencephaly is a serious birth defect in which parts of a baby’s brain and skull do not develop properly. There is no cure or standard treatment, and babies with the condition typically die before birth or shortly afterward.
Faced with a devastating diagnosis, Anna carried their son for the remainder of her pregnancy, cherishing the time she had with him.
View this post on Instagram
“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,” she wrote.
Anna said the experience has tested her faith while also drawing her closer to God.
“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 wrote. “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.”
She also reflected on the meaning of her son’s life, saying she believes God created him knowing how deeply he would be loved.
“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,” Anna wrote. “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.”
As the couple grieves, Anna shared two passages of Scripture that have helped sustain her: 1 Peter 1:5-7, which speaks of faith being tested through trials, and James 1:2-4, which encourages believers to remain steadfast through hardship.
Raridon, who played college football at Notre Dame before joining New England, is in his rookie season with the Patriots.
But Anna’s message focused not on football or what comes next, but on their son, their faith and the hope that they will one day see him again.
“I have loved you every second of your life and will miss you every second of mine,” she wrote in a message to her baby boy. “What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be.”
Read Previous Post