Actor Gary Sinise shared a heartbreaking tribute to his son, McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise, after his passing earlier this year following a rare spine cancer diagnosis. 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 experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can," Sinise wrote in the letter. "As parents, it is so difficult losing a child." Sinise praised his son for fighting the disease Chordoma for five-and-a-half years, adding it "became more and more challenging as time went on".

Mac Sinise was first diagnosed with chordoma in August 2018. He underwent multiple spine surgeries to remove the initial tumor, but the chordoma returned and began to spread. According to the National Cancer Institute, one in a million people worldwide are diagnosed with chordoma each year. Chordomas are difficult to treat because they grow "near important tissues like 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 final 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 undergoing medical treatment. His success inspired Sinise to create an entire album. The album titled, "Resurrection & Revival," will be available soon. "He gave his family and friends so much during his 33 years, and he accomplished great things in those final months," Gary Sinise wrote. "Thank you, Mac. You did it. Resurrection & Revival will live on. And so will you. In our hearts forever."

In a post on the Gary Sinise Foundation website, the 68-year-old actor revealed his son died on 5 January. In a lengthy tribute to his son, he said: "Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one." Sinise also mentioned that Mac had joined the Gary Sinise Foundation and played drums in his father's Lt Dan Band until repeated spinal surgeries left him unable to play the instrument. He said his son "was an exceptional drummer" and added: "Those were some great times, father and son rockin' out together for the troops."

Actor Gary Sinise penned a heartfelt letter honoring his son McCanna Anthony Sinise, who died earlier this year after a five-year battle with a rare cancer. Doctors diagnosed Sinise's son, better known as Mac, with a rare spinal cancer called chordoma in 2018. At the same time, Sinise's wife Moira was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. "The summer of 2018 was a particularly challenging time for our family," Sinise wrote. About 300 Americans are diagnosed with chordoma every year, according to the Chordoma Foundation. "In 70% of the cases the initial tumor can be removed, and it is cured," Sinise wrote. "But in 30% of the cases, perhaps about 90 people per year, the cancer returns." Sinise's wife emerged from the battle cancer-free and has stayed that way since. However, their son's battle against the rare disease continued for the next 5.5 years. "This began a long battle that disabled him more and more as time went on," Sinise wrote. The Gary Sinise Foundation described Mac as the inspiration that drove everyone at the nonprofit.