Henry died earlier this month. He was diagnosed as an infant with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder that leads to severe physical and cognitive impairments.
"My wife Mary had been telling Henry I was coming home, but because of his condition it’s hard to know what’s sinking in," Engel wrote in the essay, "He still struggles with basic things like picking up a ball with both hands.""As I was singing good morning to Henry and reconnecting after a long trip away, he looked at me, locked eye-contact and said, clear as any word, 'dada,'" Engel wrote.
"For me it was a validation, an acknowledgement that he’s in there, knows me, knows that his mother and I are forces for good in his life, and above all, that he loves us," Engel wrote.Songstress Nancy Sinatra called the news a"tragedy."I'm heartbroken for you, and I have no words that make any sense," Sinatra wrote."He will always be with you, even in the emptiest times though you can't hold him in your arms.
" 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 memorial page read.
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