NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel delivered the heartbreaking news Thursday that his son, Henry, died Aug. 9 after a long battle with a genetic brain disorder.
“Our beloved son Henry passed away. He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile, and a contagious giggle,” Engel tweeted. “We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more.”
Henry suffered from Rett syndrome, a disease with no treatment or cure. According to the Mayo Clinic, the rare syndrome impacts brain development, causing “a progressive loss of motor skills and language.”
