NFL Star Shares Heartbreaking Loss of Newborn Son

New England Patriots rookie Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, are mourning the devastating loss of their newborn son after learning months earlier that he had a fatal birth defect.

The couple revealed Tuesday that their son, Peter James Raridon, was born Sept. 11 after being diagnosed with anencephaly during Anna’s 20-week anatomy scan.

“Our angel, Peter James Raridon, was born on September 11th,” the couple wrote in an emotional Instagram post.

Anna said she and Eli had gone into the routine ultrasound excited to see their baby boy when they received news that changed their pregnancy forever.

Their son had anencephaly, a severe neural tube defect in which major portions of the brain and skull do not develop properly.

“Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb,” Anna wrote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anencephaly develops very early in pregnancy when the upper portion of the neural tube fails to close completely. The neural tube eventually develops into the brain and spinal cord.

Babies born with the condition are typically missing portions of the brain and skull, and there is currently no cure or standard treatment. Almost all babies born with anencephaly die shortly after birth.

The condition is rare. The CDC estimates that approximately one out of every 4,762 babies born in the United States has anencephaly.

For Eli and Anna, however, Peter was far more than a diagnosis.

“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,” Anna wrote.

The couple leaned heavily on their Christian faith throughout the pregnancy and after Peter’s birth.

Anna said she believes her son was “lovingly knitted together in the womb by God” and knew from the beginning how deeply he would be loved by his parents, relatives and friends.

“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,” she wrote.

She ended her tribute with another heartbreaking message to her son.

“I have loved you every second of your life & will miss you every second of mine. What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be.”

Peter was the couple’s first child.

Eli and Anna had publicly announced the pregnancy in March, sharing photos from a beach maternity shoot and celebrating the expected arrival of “baby Raridon” in the fall.

The couple married on May 25, 2025, after getting engaged the previous August. They reportedly knew each other dating back to high school.

The loss comes during what has otherwise been a major year in Raridon’s young football career.

The 22-year-old former Notre Dame tight end was selected by New England in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 95th overall pick.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound rookie quickly found a role in the Patriots offense. He caught his first NFL touchdown in New England’s season opener against Seattle on Sept. 9 and followed it with a 30-yard reception against Pittsburgh the following week.

But behind those early career milestones, Raridon and his wife had been privately carrying a profoundly difficult reality after learning about their son’s diagnosis months earlier.

Their Sept. 29 announcement offered the public its first glimpse into that experience and the brief life of the son they say will remain part of their family’s story forever.