NBC's Richard Engel announces death of Henry's 'beloved son' who had Rett syndrome

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NBC News' Richard Engel reported Thursday that his 6-year-old son,

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Henry, has died after being diagnosed with Rett syndrome.

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“Our beloved son Henry is dead. He had the softest blue eyes,

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an easy smile and an infectious giggle," Engel wrote on Twitter,

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attaching a photo of his son. "We always surrounded him with love and he loved it back, and more."

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Henry died Aug. 9, according to a memorial page posted on the

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Texas Children's Hospital website. As a child, he was diagnosed

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with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder that results

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in severe physical and cognitive disabilities.