By Chrissy
Callahan
NBC News Chief Correspondent Richard Engel announced Thursday the death of his 6-year-old son, Henry.
“Our beloved son Henry has passed away.
He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile, and an infectious laugh.
We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and much more.
Mary and Richard," Engel wrote on Twitter.
Engel shared a link to a memorial page on the Texas Children's Hospital website, which offered more details about Henry's life and his diagnosis of Rett syndrome, a genetic brain disorder with no treatment or cure.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Rett syndrome can cause loss of use of the hands, trouble walking, seizures, slow brain and head growth, and intellectual disability.
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Born on September 29, 2015, Henry was slow to reach certain developmental milestones as an infant.
After a series of medical exams and a genetic test, the doctors discovered that he had a mutation in his MECP2 gene.
Richard and Mary Engel, with their son Henry on October 3, 2018. TODAY via NBC News
“MECP2 mutations cause Rett syndrome, a disorder that typically strikes children after their first year, robbing them of learned skills and leaving them with cognitive deficits, speech loss, and a variety of motor difficulties,” explains the Texas page. Childrens Hospital.
The Engel family brought Henry to the hospital's Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) in 2018 to seek additional answers.
The founding director of the Duncan NRI, Dr. Huda Zoghbi, closely studied Henry's mutation.
“Henry was special in many ways.
His affectionate and endearing smile, and the way of connecting with his eyes, stole my heart since I met him.
His silent fight against this terrible disease was incredible, ”the doctor wrote in a tribute.
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