Richard Engel’s wife details spending time with late son’s body after his death

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Forrest described that period of her and Engel’s life as a “blur” but said her time spent with Henry’s body remains “vivid” in her mind.

“I would wake up feeling anxious to see him. Longing for him. 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,” she said, adding that she would leave to rejoin her other son, Theo, who was in “the forefront” of Forrest’s mind.

Forrest admitted the NBC News chief foreign correspondent, 49, was “hesitant” about her approach to handling her grief but decided to join her during one of her visits to see Henry’s body, where he “realized the value in having this time to do the impossible: attempt to say goodbye to Henry.”

Although Forrest said her actions may be perceived as “weird,” she said it helped her move forward with her grief.

“I am thankful to have had that week. I know not every grieving person has the ability to do this, and not everyone wants or needs to,” she wrote. “It was surreal, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching … and also filled with so much love.

“There’s just so much love, and that’s what has gotten me through.”

Henry died Mayo Clinic. The disorder, which has no cure, causes a progressive loss of motor skills and language.

Engel honored his late son on what would have been his 7th birthday last September with a social-media tribute that featured a never-before-seen photo of Henry.

“Henry would have turned 7 today. A big thank you to everyone who sent kind and thoughtful messages, and donated to support medical research to defeat Rett Syndrome. Happy Birthday Binks (our nickname),” he tweeted.