And then he died, and so much of my routine went out the window. It was so hard to leave, but we also have a younger son, Theo, who needed me, and he was in the forefront of my mind as well. In an essay published by Today, Forrest reflected on the day Henry died and the last moments she spent with him in their home. There, I added the caveat. I dont know. I know that kind of love, and I know thatit never fades, never goes away. Save up to 50% on Pets when you shop now. The funeral director told her she 'would know when it was the time to say goodbye,' and to her surprise she did. Its something we never saw with Henry,' Engel told Peoplein 2019. Unfortunately, there isnt any disease-modifying therapy at the moment thats approved, but theres a lot of active research going on, said Patterson, adding that physical or occupational therapy can help with symptoms, such as loss of motor skills. The condition is rare, even more so in boys, and there is no cure. We are his legs. Forrest said her husband was concerned about her daily ritual at first and feared it was only exasperating her grief, but going to the funeral home with her helped him understand. He cant sit in a chair, even an adapted one, for long either. We massage him. [citation needed] Having escaped after five days in captivity, Engel said he believed that a Shabiha group loyal to al-Assad was behind the abduction, and that the crew was freed by the Ahrar al-Sham group five days later. [14] He graduated from Stanford in 1996 with a B.A. Caroline Kee is a health reporter for TODAY Digital. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel draws on his 20-year experience of original reporting in the field to provide in-depth reporting and interviews in key places across the world. I think they're an afterthought to be honest with you for many of our schools, not just here, but across the country, she said. When he was small, he could do a kind of army crawl, propelling himself with his elbows and pushing forward with one knee. We sometimes put socks over his hands so he doesnt chew them to the point where they bleed. Tomorrow, our flag will fly over a free Bashkortostan" - Rota Bashkort, the unit of Bashkirs in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I put shorts on him, and a T-shirt out of habit. [1] He was assigned to that position on April 18, 2008 after serving as the network's Middle East correspondent and Beirut bureau chief. There may be that one child who uses the lockdown to teach herself piano and write an opera, but generally kids are not getting what they need. Find the best deals on Home Gym from your favorite brands. Wherever I go and whatever I do, hes with me. He is trying to tell me something. When he tries to hurt himself, hes more than able to. it would empower boards of trustees in each school to hire professors, you may recall that these are boards where the majority of the members are picked by governor Seizures and epilepsy are also common among Rett syndrome patients, Parikh said. Would I go back and do every second over again with Henry, knowing that there would be this much pain at the end? We sat in the church for 45 minutes. Were in a race against the clock no matter how much physical therapy we do, and we do a ton.'. It was a long time coming, which made it all the sweeter an unexpected reward, Engel wrote in a 2019 essay for TODAY. But any part of Henry in any form be it hair, teeth, runny nose tissues is precious right now. Many adults struggle with it. Rett Shop the best selection of deals on Cat Supplies now. Mainstream kids and adults hold information and skills for a long time, even if they dont access or use them often. But even with all the difficult moments, there have been joyful milestones, too such as when Henry said Dada for the first time at 3 and a half years old. He needs structure, so shes built one. It was taken in southern Turkey after the horrific earthquakes left the area devastated. It resonated with me and touched on so many feelings that are constantly swirling in my head these days. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel draws on his 20-year experience of original reporting in "Today, our flag flies over our equipment in Ukraine. It all helps wed be beside ourselves if it didnt work at all but hes still bored, and his condition seems to be getting worse. Forrest works in the television business, just like her husband, but she is a producer. [41] His coverage focused on the challenges of free elections in Afghanistan and the disruptions to democracy in the country. We move him a lot. are mostly limited to various forms of therapy, like physical therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral therapy. "MECP2 mutations cause Rett syndrome, a disorder that typically affects girls after their first birthday, robbing them of learned skills and leaving them with cognitive deficits, loss of speech, and a variety of motor difficulties," the Texas Children's Hospital page explains. Deals and discounts in Cookbooks you dont want to miss. Save up to 50% on Women's Accessories when you shop now. In a personal essay, Mary Forrest, wife to NBCs Richard Engel, writes about saying goodbye to her sons physical body. We cuddle him. Hes bored. He attributed his attraction to journalism as "the prospect of learning about new subjects and having the privilege of riding the train of history rather than watching it pass". ', Mary Forrest, wife of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, penned an essay for Today about the final days she spent with their six-year-old son Henry after his death, The couple's oldest child passed away last August after a years-long battle with Rett Syndrome, a genetic mutation that leads to severe cognitive deficits and physical impairment. [36] Engel's award-winning documentary, War Zone Diary, chronicled the everyday realities of covering the war in Iraq. My crowning achievement of this was at a birthday party he went to at an indoor play facility. 24, 2023. Henry, who turns 5 in September, doesnt walk or talk. Thousands? I didnt ask him what he said; I didnt have to. It was from the moment he woke up, like at 7:30 in the morning, clear to what felt like noon time. He didnt always respond as they expected, but the excitement in his eyes told them he enjoyed and appreciated it. These are the best Home Audio deals youll find online. His hand-mouthing is much more frequent. [4], In May 2015, Engel married producer Mary Forrest. She works for an oversight agency for Washington States prisons, talking to inmates as a kind of liaison. [43], In Egypt, Engel often reported from Tahrir Square, interviewing protestors in Tahrir Square as President Hosni Mubarak surrendered power to the Egyptian military. "He continues to be an inspiration for Dr. Zoghbi and her team as they work to find effective treatments for Rett syndrome, and they already are making significant progress with Henrys own cells," the post says. Then we realized it was a genetic condition, and hes not going to get over it.. In March 2011, Engel was caught in an artillery strike while interviewing fighters during a rebel advancement towards former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces outside the city of Ajdabiya. Engel has shared regular updates on his son's condition. Henry was born with a variation of Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that starts with normal early development, which then starts to slow usually around 6 to 18 months of age, causing loss of use of the hands, problems with walking and intellectual disability, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Henrys situation is not unique. He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and a contagious giggle. On Assignment with Richard Engel, which premieres Friday at 10 p.m. Behavior is communication. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. Do not sell or share my personal information. "Children who are able to acquire speech tend to lose that and there's quite a high frequency of autistic features," Patterson said. Extreme pressure, applied to a society, a diamond or an individual mind, eventually exposes all the hidden cracks. Adrienne is the director of public policy at Washington States Developmental Disabilities Council. The day of the cremation, we went multiple times to sit with him. His muscles are moving. For everyone following Henrys story, unfortunately hes taken a turn for the worse, Engel wrote on Twitter. Engel also opened up about the feeling of watching his younger son surpass Henry in developmental milestones. The father of two announced the heartbreaking news of Henry's death in a joint statement with his wife on Twitter on August 18, nine days after he passed. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel shows MTP Daily exclusive video of his team experiencing a shelling in eastern Ukraine, where he says Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological disorder that affects brain development and leads to the loss of motor skills and speech abilities, as well as cognitive deficits. Having a special needs child was difficult before COVID. It gets really difficult to see that. We rub his ears. She previously worked for Healthline and Buzzfeed News. The standing and bumps and tumbles put weight on their bones and joints and make them stronger. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Rett syndrome can cause loss of use of the hands, problems with walking, seizures, slowed brain and head growth and intellectual disability. We carry Henry around our house and up and down the stairs. Take your pick. Try putting a child with severe autism in front of a computer screen with a teacher and 20 children in video boxes. I do feel like it is helping him. Id add more colorful adjectives, but you get the point. These are the best Videogames deals youll find online. "Our beloved son Henry passed away. Then, she does grass time, sand box time (her partner built one during lockdown), water time and foot bath time, along with puzzles and games Zach likes. Children climb, jump, fall, cry and get up again for a reason. I say hes lucky to be keeping up with his physical therapy, because we are paying about $100 an hour to have a private therapist known to us and part of our bubble come to our home. Theyre not just missing out on new enriching experiences, theyre regressing. We have braces for his arms that prevent him from doing it, but when theyre on he cant do much with his hands at all, so there are tradeoffs. The Engels scattered some of their son's ashes at a tree in a park that he loved, and she recalled seeing the remnants for months afterward when she visited. She is also working on her first novel, a domestic drama set in rural Regency England. Without school and therapies, special needs kids are moving backwards. That evening when the people from the funeral home came to get his body, I carried him to the car. 04:17 Aug. 19, 2022, 9:23 AM PDT / Source: TODAY By Caroline Kee NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel announced Thursday that his 6-year Mary Forrest, wife of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, penned an essay for Today about the final days she spent with their six-year-old son All of these big changes around COVID have been especially disruptive for kids with autism, she said. 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[citation needed] He reported on the advances made by rebel fighters within the country as well as the mass defections from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government army. NBC News correspondent Richard Engel is celebrating a milestone for his 3-year-old son with an emotional essay. Mary Forrest, wife of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, penned an essay for Today about the final days she spent with their six-year-old son Henry after his death. On Assignment with Richard Engel, which premieres Friday at 10 p.m. Now his mother worries he may never gain that ability. As far as we know, there's not a specific cause for it, and it seems to be random," Dr. Sumit Parikh, a neurologist with the Center of Pediatric Neurosciences at the Cleveland Clinic, told TODAY. Save up to 50% on Trending when you shop now. IE 11 is not supported. She cant afford to hire private help. 'A big thank you to everyone who sent kind and thoughtful messages, and donated to support medical research to defeat Rett Syndrome. While describing the challenges Henry was facing, the journalist emphasized how lucky he felt to have Henry in his life. They can get violent and do self-harm, a strong sensory input. Every morning, all I could do is try make him feel calmer, she said. We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more. In March 2022, he shared a somber update on Henry's health and said his son had taken a turn for the worse.. Or maybe grief makes us behave in a way that is our truest self. While many media outlets pulled their journalists out of Iraq shortly after shelling began in March 2003, Engel stayed, and was subsequently one of the only Western journalists in the country. When he is upset, he screams with his whole body and kicks his legs with power. Then it was time to leave the crematorium and walk away from his body this body I knew so well, loved more than life itself and fought to keep alive for years. Its something we never saw with Henry. We gather on our bed several times a day for what we call 'cuddle parties,' where we kiss him, rub him, praise him (he loves to hear his name and be praised) and curl his thick, gorgeous hair in our fingers," he wrote at the time. You hold a baby like Theo and hes wriggling, he told People in 2019. It goes without saying you cant do physical therapy online any more than at-home dentistry or a Zoom appendectomy. For months afterward, I could see remnants of ashes when I visited. Its a haunting, gut-wrenching image. Watch TODAY All Day: Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. [28] Engel covered all major milestones of the war, including the first free Iraqi election and the capture, trial, and execution of Saddam Hussein. Shop the best selection of deals on Beauty now. We move forward with it. At one point, she shares that she licked her hands clean after scattering her husbands ashes, because she was afraid of losing more than she had already. But kids with special needs are not just missing out on new enriching experiences, theyre regressing. Engel received the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for his report "War Zone Diary". Kids with autism often have trouble dealing with change. So when he heard that sweet word come out of his son's mouth, it was a moment Engel will never forget. All kids are missing out. WebRichard Engel, chief foreign correspondent for NBC News, and two of his crewmembers escaped Monday after they were kidnapped, psychologically tortured and held in captivity for five days inside Syria, Engel standing with his two colleagues in Antakya, Turkey said in a live broadcast on Tuesdays Today show. I brought a different assortment of books and toys each time. Shop the best selection of deals on Cameras now. Each time I went I would stay for about an hour, then leave the room and head to the front door of the funeral home before turning back for one last goodbye. In 2020, Engel wrote an essayfor Today about how the COVID-19 pandemic had been a'nightmare' for his son who had been cut off from the therapies that had enriched his life. His tremors and body shakes became more pronounced, and his hand-mouthing became more frequent. They are now in a drawer in my dresser. In the 2018 interview, Engel recalled the devastating prognosis for Henry: Its not just delay. She says for kids with autism, the world feels overwhelming because you have all of this visual stimuli, auditory stimuli, just the feelings of things on your skin or your taste or the way your body is moving, it feels overwhelming to kids because their brain connections take in too much of all this information. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. Engel has lived in the Middle East since graduating from Stanford University in 1996 with a B.A. Mary sings to him, sometimes a song she made up about Coco, and works with flash cards to teach him letters, numbers and colors all day long. Do you hate foreplay? Jack with his grandfather, pre-pandemic. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Humans need to walk. [77][78] Henry Engel was born with Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder that is extremely rare in males; he died in August 2022 at age 6.[79][80]. Our beloved son Henry passed away. They get easily overwhelmed by sounds and new experiences. [31] He spent years covering what he often describes as one of the most important stories of his generation, the Iraq War. 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