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The Unexpected Wonders of My Son’s Short Life | James G. Robinson | TED

When James G. Robinson’s son Nadav was born with a rare heart defect, he feared the worst. What he didn’t anticipate were the moments of unexpected wonder. In this profound talk, Robinson traces five years of impossible medical odds, a genetic discovery so strange it felt like fate … and how grateful he is to…

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When James G. Robinson’s son Nadav was born with a rare heart defect, he feared the worst. What he didn’t anticipate were the moments of unexpected wonder. In this profound talk, Robinson traces five years of impossible medical odds, a genetic discovery so strange it felt like fate … and how grateful he is to have experienced it all. His story is a vivid reminder of what it means to be human — an inexplicable gift, however fleeting. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 15, 2026)

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11 Comments

  1. @Djibril21

    July 13, 2026 at 11:00 am

    ❤️❤️

  2. @FathiAbdihakiim

    July 13, 2026 at 11:05 am

    ❤❤

  3. @Avarice7D

    July 13, 2026 at 11:40 am

    Thank you for sharing part of your journey.

  4. @JFox29

    July 13, 2026 at 12:23 pm

    Thank you for sharing! Your story made me tear up!

  5. @felipecarboneri

    July 13, 2026 at 12:34 pm

    As a father of a four year boy, this video made me cry a lot and reflect our role as parents and that every moment with our kids is an infinite blessing. Thank you for sharing a piece of your life. God bless you and yours. 🙏

  6. @JLMSPORT707

    July 13, 2026 at 12:46 pm

    Truly inspiring, the wonders of human life. I am so grateful for James sharing this journey

  7. @AcselMitchell

    July 13, 2026 at 12:57 pm

    Against my will the empty darkness that surrounds every shine star…

  8. @Milkyway-k6x

    July 13, 2026 at 2:11 pm

    I feel compassion for this guy and anybody else who’s lost a child but this is exactly why i think we shouldn’t be having kids. Sure parents get joy out of their kids but the child’s perspective matters too, and the fact is that the child never consented to being brought into the world to suffer and die in the first place. So it often amounts to joy at the expense of them. The example in this video is just one of innumerable ways it can go horribly wrong for your child when you decide to create life and it just isn’t worth the risk

    • @godofedrofalso4586

      July 13, 2026 at 2:44 pm

      Why is consent the only way to make something morally justifiable?

      Sure there is suffering, but there is also joy. Suffering does not necessarily make a life not worth living.

    • @Milkyway-k6x

      July 13, 2026 at 3:29 pm

      ​@godofedrofalso4586 I think if an act could potentially lead to extreme suffering for another person then the inability to get consent from that person is a serious problem. I’d say whether a life is worth living or not is up to each individual to decide and i agree that suffering dosen’t necessarily mean a life isn’t worth living. But when people have kids they are projecting their own sense of life being worth living onto their child, who might die young like this guys son or who as adults might end up coming to the opposite conclusion to their parents after a life of hardship and suffering.

  9. @TED

    July 13, 2026 at 5:16 pm

    To learn more about James G. Robinson’s memoir and story, visit morethanamemoir.com.

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