Eli and Anna Raridon announced the loss of their first child on Tuesday afternoon, saying their son had been diagnosed with anencephaly during a 20‑week anatomy scan and that his time with them was brief.
What the family shared publicly
In an Instagram post, Anna Raridon wrote that the diagnosis came during a routine 20‑week checkup and made clear the condition would prevent their son from surviving outside the womb. She described the couple’s heartbreak and the small, vivid life they were able to hold.
“While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past 9 months before he was called back to Heaven,” Anna wrote, framing those nine months as a treasured time despite the outcome.
She also reflected on faith and the sense that Peter’s brief life had meaning. “I believe our little boy was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by our families, our friends, Eli, and me,” she added. Anna closed her message by affirming that, despite the brevity of his life, Peter’s existence was “precious” and “meaningful” and that he will “forever be a part of our story.”
The post included photos of the couple, additional images, and passages from the books of Peter and James. Anna cited 1 Peter 1:5–7 to frame the moment in the language of faith, noting how the passage speaks to being guarded through faith and finding hope amid trials.
Family, faith and the immediate aftermath
Anna’s words emphasized the surrounding support she and Eli felt from family and friends even as they confronted a fatal diagnosis. She described both the sorrow of not bringing him home and the gratitude of having loved him while he was with them.
The announcement lays out the raw facts of an especially painful form of loss: anencephaly, a condition the couple said would not allow their child to survive outside the womb, and that his time with them was brief. Anna’s message focused on memory, meaning and the solace she and Eli found in one another and in their faith.
They framed Peter’s life as a deliberate, beloved part of their family’s story — brief, but held with intention and reverence — a message that resonated throughout the post and underpinned every line of the couple’s public statement.
