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Actor Gary Sinise shared a heartbreaking tribute to his son, McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise, following his passing earlier this year following a rare diagnosis of spinal cancer.
The “Forest Gump” actor announced Tuesday on the Gary Sinise Foundation website that Mac Sinise died on Jan. 5, five years after he was diagnosed with chordoma. He was 33 years old.
“Like any family who experiences a loss like this, we are heartbroken and have been handling it the best we can.” Sinise wrote in the letter.. “As parents, it is very difficult to lose a child.”
“While our hearts ache for missing him, we are comforted knowing that Mac is no longer struggling and we are inspired and touched by the way he made it happen. “He fought a tough battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never stopped trying,” Sinise added.
Mac Sinise was first diagnosed with chordoma in August 2018. He underwent multiple spinal surgeries to remove the initial tumor, but the chordoma returned and began to spread.
According to the National Cancer Institute, one person in a million worldwide is diagnosed with chordoma each year. Chordomas are difficult to treat because they grow “near important tissues such as nerves and blood vessels.”
The cancer left Sinise paralyzed from the chest down, but he used his limited mobility in his right arm to pursue his passion project; In his senior year, Sinise dedicated his time to creating music with an old friend and his father’s bandmates.
Sinise recorded two pieces, one unfinished from his college days and another on the harmonica, which he learned to play while receiving medical treatment. His success inspired Sinise to create an entire album.
The album titled “Resurrection & Revival” will be available soon.
“He gave so much to his family and friends during his 33 years and accomplished great things in those final months,” Gary Sinise wrote. “Thanks Mac. You did it. The resurrection and revival will live on. And you will too. In our hearts forever.”