lit a candle 2h agoNot one for these NFL family stories usually, skip past them most days. But sharing this publicly, naming the condition, actually telling people what anencephaly is, that took some guts. My niece lost a baby the same way in the nineties and nobody said the word out loud back then.
Their story
Peter James Raridon was a newborn son of New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna Raridon. He was born on September 11, 2026, and died shortly after birth as a result of anencephaly, a fatal birth defect in which the brain and skull do not…
Peter James Raridon was a newborn son of New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna Raridon. He was born on September 11, 2026, and died shortly after birth as a result of anencephaly, a fatal birth defect in which the brain and skull do not fully develop before birth. Peter never left the hospital and lived only a short time, but his birth and death became public knowledge only weeks later, when his parents chose to share their story with the world.
Anencephaly occurs when the neural tube fails to close completely early in pregnancy, and it is not survivable outside the womb. Eli and Anna Raridon learned of the diagnosis at Anna's 20-week anatomy scan, a routine appointment that is meant to check on a baby's growth and organ development. Rather than end the pregnancy, the couple chose to carry Peter to term, a decision that many families facing the same diagnosis make so they can meet and hold their child, however briefly.
Eli Raridon, 22, is a rookie tight end who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2026 NFL Draft and had begun his first professional season with the team in the weeks before his son's birth. He and Anna met in high school and married in May 2025. Anna announced the pregnancy publicly in March 2026, sharing a beach photoshoot and writing that their baby was "arriving this fall."
The couple announced Peter's death publicly on September 29, 2026, eighteen days after he was born, in a joint post on Instagram. Anna wrote that although her son's time with them was brief, his life had still been precious and meaningful, and that he would forever be part of their story. She described being grateful to have carried and protected him for nine months and said she had loved him "every second of his life."
Peter James Raridon's story matters to the public primarily because of who his parents are: a young NFL player just beginning his career and his wife, who chose to speak openly about carrying a baby with a fatal diagnosis to term. Their willingness to share their grief, along with the medical reality of anencephaly, drew an outpouring of sympathy from Patriots teammates, sports media and fans, and renewed public attention to a rare and little discussed birth defect.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Yahoo Sports.
Photos
1by People Forever
That's exactly it, my sister went through this in 2003 and there was no language for it anywhere.