New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, announced the loss of their baby son in an emotional social media post.
“Our angel, Peter James Raridon, was born on September 11th🪽,” Anna shared via Instagram on Tuesday, September 29. “When Eli and I went in for our 20-week anatomy scan, excited to see our sweet baby boy, our hearts were forever changed. Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb.” (Anencephaly, per the Cleveland Clinic, is a severe and fatal fetal defect in which a baby is born without major parts of their brain, skull or scalp.)
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.”
While Anna acknowledged the couple “may never understand the why behind this journey” and their son’s “time with us was brief,” she called his “purpose still meaningful.”
“He will forever be a part of our story,” she wrote. I have loved you every second of your life & will miss you every second of mine. What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be 🤍.”
Eli, 22, and Anna got married in May 2025, before the football star’s senior season at Notre Dame.
“Best day of my life!!!!” Anna shared via Instagram at the time. “Married my favorite person, surrounded by the people we love most!! thank you Jesus for the most perfect day 🤍.”
Anna said the couple’s cocktail hour was her favorite moment of the big day.
“Spending little moments with all of our guests & catching up with long distance friends & family,” she shared in a separate post via Instagram. “We are so so blessed to be surrounded by those we love most!”
The couple announced their pregnancy in March.
“Half me, half you — fearfully & wonderfully made, thank you Jesus!!! baby Raridon arriving this fall 🤍,” Anna shared via Instagram.
Eli was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. After the selection, Anna celebrated via social media. “Forever your biggest fan,” she wrote via Instagram, showing off her baby bump.
The rookie tight end appeared in the Patriots’ first two games of the season, catching the first touchdown pass of his career in the team’s season-opening loss against the Seattle Seahawks on September 9.
Eli missed the Patriots’ third game of the season — against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, September 27 — while dealing with a thigh injury.
