Show Notes
Gary Sinise joins Jeremy Boreing for the most personal conversation of his public life: the five-and-a-half-year fight of his son, Mac Sinise, against chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, and the faith, family, and music that carried them through. Gary's new book, Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through, releases November 10, which is Mac's birthday.
► Order Gary's book, Graceful Warrior: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400208157
Most people know Gary Sinise from Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, CSI: NY, and Steppenwolf Theatre, and for decades of service to veterans and first responders through the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Lt. Dan Band. In 2018, Gary's wife, Moira, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Two months later, doctors found an orange-sized chordoma tumor on Mac's sacrum, one that may have been growing since birth.
► Support the show and shave with a company that doesn't hate you: https://www.jeremysrazors.com/
Gary tells Jeremy why he chose to share such a private story, and why he insists it is not a cancer story. It is a story of perseverance, fatherhood, and what you hold onto when you fall flat on your face. They talk about the phone call where Mac asked, "Can I come home?" — the call that began his return to his Catholic faith, a father-son road trip, and a restored relationship. They discuss the victim mentality and personal agency, how a family pulls together through the loss of a child, and Gary's hard-earned view that "time heals all wounds" isn't true.
The conversation also covers Mac's favorite line from St. Augustine, his confirmation by Bishop Robert Barron, and the music he left behind: the album Resurrection & Revival, recorded at Sunset Sound, and the more than 60 pieces Gary discovered after his death. Proceeds from the albums benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation. Gary closes with a reading from the chapter "Service Is a Great Healer."
►Gary Sinise Foundation: https://www.garysinisefoundation.org
►Chordoma Foundation: https://www.chordomafoundation.org
►Jeremy's The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is the #1 fantasy series on Amazon — watch it now on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0HFH7J5N3
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Why Gary Shared Mac's Story
(00:09:23) Not a Cancer Story, a Perseverance Story
(00:15:59) Meet Mac: A Drummer Turned Composer
(00:27:04) The Bike Ride and the Diagnosis
(00:43:46) Mac's Return to the Catholic Faith
(00:51:13) The Father-Son Road Trip
(01:16:23) How Do You Measure a Life?
(01:27:44) St. Augustine and Bishop Barron
(01:34:35) Mac's Return to Music
(01:58:19) "There's a Silver Lining, Mom" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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