US journalist and NBC News star Richard Engel has shared the heartbreaking news this week that his six-year-old son Henry had died.
Richard's son Henry, who he shared with his wife Mary, had been living with an incurable neurological disorder called Rett syndrome.
The rare condition is a genetic brain disorder that can cause seizures, loss of use in hands, slowed brain, intellectual disability and struggles with other motor difficulties.
Taking to social media on Thursday (18 August), Richard shared the devastating update with followers, writing: "Our beloved son Henry passed away.
"He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and a contagious giggle. We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more. Mary and Richard."
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The newsreader added a sweet photo of his son Henry, alongside a link to a memorial page on the Texas Children's Hospital website, which offered more information about Rett syndrome.
According to the hospital page, doctors first realised there might be something going on with little Henry when he was slow to reach certain developmental milestones.
After undergoing a genetic test, it was discovered that Henry had a mutation in his MECP2 gene, causing his Rett syndrome.
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The incredibly rare condition is more typical in girls after their first birthday.
Since his diagnosis, Richard and his family had been taking Henry to the Texas hospital's Duncan Neurological Research Institute to seek answers and have the condition studied.
In a follow-up tweet, Richard urged his followers to consider donating to the Texas Children's Hospital to contribute to its research of the rare syndrome.
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Sharing another link to the website, he wrote: "Researchers are making amazing progress using Henry’s cells to help cure RETT Syndrome so others don’t have to endure this terrible disease."
The founding director of the Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Dr Huda Zoghbi, shared her own tribute to little Henry.
The doctor, who was the first to discover that mutations in the MECP2 gene cause Rett syndrome, wrote: "Henry was special in so many ways.
"His loving and endearing smile, and the way he connected with his eyes, stole my heart from the time I met him.
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"His quiet fight against this terrible disease was incredible.
"What is most amazing, however, is the impact Henry had on so many of us at the Duncan NRI and on our Rett research. We will continue to push as hard as possible to develop treatments. This is how we will honour his life."
If you would like to donate to the Texas Children's Hospital's research on Rett syndrome, you can do so here
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Ali Condon