Richard Engel’s wife finally breaks her silence on her son’s death in a personal essay she disclosed to the public. Here’s what we know about her six-year-old son’s death and how the family is coping after this tragedy.
A Personal Essay Shared With Today
Richard Engel’s wife, Mary Engel, shared a sneak peek about how she and her husband have been handling the grief concerning their son’s death in a personal essay revealed to Today .
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The Highlights Of The Long Week
In her essay, Mary talks about the week after her son’s death and her frequent visits to the funeral home to spend some time with Henry’s dead body.
Henry’s Battle With Rett Syndrome
Henry had been battling Rett syndrome for six long years and died due to the complications that resulted from the sickness.
What is Rett Syndrome?
Rett Syndrome is a genetic neurological disorder that impairs brain and physical development and currently has no cure.
Reminiscing About The Old Days
Henry’s mother recalled the time when Henry was alive, talking about how she “sat with him in our home for hours. Changed his clothes. It was summer. I put shorts on him and a T-shirt out of habit. I chose one of his softest, coziest ones.”
Saying Goodbye
She then shares heart-wrenching details about the day Henry was going to be sent off to the funeral home, and she was carrying his body to the car, “It was the last time I would ever carry my beautiful Henry.”
Trouble Sleeping
A mother’s grief is incomparable, and we can see it in the sentiments Mary shares after departing with Henry’s body, “I would wake up feeling anxious to see him. Longing for him.”
A Week Long Visit To The Funeral Home
The only way for her to get over this suffering was to visit Henry’s dead body at the funeral home. “[The funeral home] would have him ready for me, and I’d go into the room and cry, stroke his hair and face and rest my head next to his.”
A Time Of Intense Sorrow
During some of her visits, Forrest would also bring along the books and toys her son used to play with, “I’d push the buttons on the toys and listen to the sounds, which I had heard so many times when he had pushed them.”
The Hardest Farewell
After each visit, she would struggle to return home and only went back after looking back and bidding “one last goodbye,” and then heading home for her other son.
Time Went By Like A Whirlwind
Mary describes the period after her son’s death as a time of tribulation for the two partners, but spending time with Henry’s body helped her significantly.
Engel Expressed Hesitancy For Wife’s Approach
Forrest also revealed that in the beginning, Richard was “hesitant” about his wife’s peculiar way of handling the agonizing heartache.
Richard Accepts The Inevitable
Despite his hesitancy, the NBC News chief correspondent accompanied his wife on one of her visits, “he realized the value in having this time to do the impossible: attempt to say goodbye to Henry.”
To Each Their Own
While Mary’s manner of tangling her sorrow may be unusual or weird to many, it helped her move forward with life.
Love Is the Most Powerful Source
While her meetings with her son’s deceased body were of incredible help, the love that Mary was surrounded with also played an integral role in allowing her to survive the tormenting grief, “There’s just so much love, and that’s what has gotten me through.”
Cremation At A Park
She also shared the family’s decision to have Henry cremated and his ashes spread before a tree at Henry’s favorite park.
A Birthday Wish
Engel recently shared a throwback picture with his son on what would have been the child’s 7th birthday, thanking everyone who shared thoughtful messages and donated to support medical research to defeat Rett Syndrome.
If Only We Could Turn Back Time
As for Mary, she would readily go back in time and spend every second again a million times with her firstborn.
Mary Accepts The Reality
Six months after Henry’s death, Mary has come to the realization that her little angel will always be with her, “Wherever I go and whatever I do, he’s with me.”
