Rob Delaney learned how to love his children “better” following the tragic death of his son.
Rob Delaney
The ‘Bombshell’ star and his wife Leah Delaney were left heartbroken when their son Henry passed away in January 2018 after battling brain cancer, and he has now insisted the tragedy didn’t make him love his other three sons “any less”.
Instead, Rob now sees his brood as “temporary gatherings of stardust”, which has helped him learn how to fully appreciate them.
He said: “Henry wasn't our only son and his death didn't make me love our other sons any less.
“This includes the two-year-old who was born in the same room in which Henry died seven months later. That room happens to be our 'living room’.
“I don't know if Henry's death made me love his brothers more, but it certainly made me love them better. Because when I hold them, I know what they really are. They're temporary gatherings of stardust just like Henry.
“They won't be here forever, they're here now and it is my staggering privilege to get to hold them, smell them and stare at them.”
Rob also revealed losing Henry has forced him to face his fear of death, as he says he’s no longer scared of dying, because he knows he’ll be able to see Henry again when his time comes.
He added: “I think about dying a lot and it always makes me feel good. Like many people I used to be afraid of dying.
“But a little less than three years ago, our then-youngest son Henry died of a brain tumour. It so happens he died on the morning of my 41st birthday. Thus, that date's significance has been exchanged for something far larger and more powerful.
“I don't know where Henry went or what happened to him when he died, do you? But I know I'll get to find out when I die. At the very least I'll get to experience something Henry experienced and that's wonderful. That knowledge brings me peace. I won't say I can't wait because I can.”
And the 43-year-old actor says he feels “suspended” between the “push of life and the pull of death's gravity”, but knows he’ll be “okay” when he eventually passes away.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 when asked to share his “moment of light”, the ‘Deadpool 2’ actor said: “Sometimes I feel like a piece of metal, floating, suspended, between the magnetic push of life and the pull of death's gravity. I guess that means I'm right where I'm supposed to be.
“It's funny, I've only just realised I'm telling you this from the couch where Henry died. Same couch where I wrestled with his three brothers this morning.
“I'm here now and one day I'll be where Henry is. I'll have to die to get there but that's okay with me.”
Tagged in rob delaney