Gary Sinise, who starred in Forrest Gump and the television series CSI New York, announced the death of his son Mac, 33, who had been diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer.
The American actor revealed that his son died on January 5, more than 5 years after his chordoma diagnosis.
In a statement posted on the Gary Sinise Foundation website, the actor said the family was “heartbroken” and “dealing with it as best we can.”
He added that he felt “blessed, lucky and proud” to be Mac’s father.
Mac, whose full name was McCanna Anthony Sinise, graduated from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and was an “exceptional drummer,” his father said.
Sinise said he was diagnosed with chordoma in August 2018, just 2 months after his wife Moira was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
His wife went into remission and remains cancer-free after treatment. However, Mac’s cancer spread and “increasingly disabled him,” Sinise wrote.
“As parents, it is very difficult to lose a child. “My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered a similar loss and to anyone who has lost a loved one,” she said.
“It is heartbreaking and tremendously difficult. “Our family’s fight against cancer lasted 5 and a half years and became increasingly difficult as time went on.”
Chordoma is a very rare and slow-growing type of bone cancer.
Chordomas grow from the notochord, which forms spinal tissue early in a baby’s development in the womb.
During development, the notochord is replaced by bone. But sometimes, small areas of notochord may remain in adults.
About 35 in 100 chordomas (35%) grow at the base of the skull and 50 in 100 (50%) in the bone (sacrum) between the hip bones. The rest develops in the bones of the spine.
Globally, one case of chordoma is diagnosed per million people each year.
As it is a very rare cancer, it is not known what the causes of the disease could be. But it is more common in men than women and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60.
Because chordomas tend to grow slowly, patients often have symptoms many months before they are diagnosed. And the symptoms depend on where the chordoma is located.
Likewise, the prognosis and evolution of the cancer will depend on where the tumor formed and several other factors, such as its size and the possibility of removing it with surgery.
Source: Cancer Research Uk, US National Cancer Institute.
Sinise, who played Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump alongside Tom Hanks, said the family “is in enormous pain missing Mac.”
But they added that they feel comforted knowing that he is no longer suffering and that they were “inspired and moved by the way he handled it.”
“He fought a tough battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never stopped trying.”
Sinese, 68, called his son “an incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him.”
And he added: “He faced his battle with grace, courage and love. Even with setback after setback, she never stopped living and learning, creating and giving, and loving.”
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