New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife announced the death of their infant son in a social media post on Wednesday.
Raridon, 24, and his wife, Anna, wrote that they lost their first child, Peter James Raridon, USA Today reported. The boy, who was born on Sept. 11, had been diagnosed with anencephaly at their 20-week check-in.
The condition is a rare birth defect in which the baby “would not survive outside the womb.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anencephaly is a condition where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull.
During pregnancy, the neural tube that helps form the baby’s brain, skull, spine and backbones does not close all the way, the CDC said. It is fatal and there is no cure or treatment.
“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 nine months before he was called back to Heaven,” Anna Raridon wrote on Instagram. “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. 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.
“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. 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.”
The Raridons were married on May 25, 2025, USA Today reported. They met while attending Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.
The couple announced that Anna Raridon was pregnant in an Instagram post on March 31, 2026.
Eli Raridon was the Patriots’ third-round selection in the 2026 NFL draft. He played four seasons at Notre Dame.
In two games with New England this season, the rookie has caught two passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.
At Notre Dame, Raridon caught 48 passes for 623 yards and three touchdowns.