Eli Raridon and Anna Raridon are navigating a tragic loss.
The New England Patriots tight end and his wife Anna shared that their son Peter James Raridon died shortly after his birth on Sept. 11 as a result of anencephaly, a fatal birth defect in which the fetal brain and skull don’t develop as expected in the womb.
“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 shared in a joint Instagram post with Eli Sept. 29. “Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb.”
She continued, “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—who wed Eli, 22, in May 2025 after meeting in high school—added that she and her husband “may never understand the why behind this journey, but one thing we know with certainty is that God promises to care for His children.”
And she was grateful for the time she and Eli had with their newborn, writing that he “was lovingly knitted together in the womb” and deeply loved “by our families, our friends, Eli, and me.”
“I have loved you every second of your life & will miss you every second of mine,” she wrote. “What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be.”
Alongside the message, Anna shared several photos, including one of herself and Eli holding Peter’s hand, another of her positive pregnancy tests and a picture of a rainbow breaking over the trees.
She and Eli first announced they were expecting a baby together in March, posting a photoshoot from the beach and writing on Instagram, “Half me, half you— fearfully & wonderfully made, thank you Jesus!!! baby Raridon arriving this fall.”