Gary Sinise Lost His Son Mac to a '1 in a Million' Disease and the Family Needs Prayers
February 29, 2024

In heartbreaking news, Gary Sinise's son, McCanna Anthony Sinise, died at the young age of 33. His death comes five years after doctors diagnosed him with a "one in a million" disease, Chordoma. And now, let's cover the Sinise family in prayer as they navigate the agony of this tragic loss.
Actor Gary Sinise is well known for his notable roles as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump or on the TV show CSI: New York. However, he's also gained quite a bit of notoriety for his incredible passion for helping veterans.
RELATED: Gary Sinise Has An Incredible Passion For Helping Veterans But Do You Know Why?
Through the Gary Sinise Foundation, the actor has supported the military and other United States service members in a variety of ways. He's paid off mortgages and built homes for wounded warriors. He regularly sends the families of fallen soldiers to Walt Disney World. Gary Sinise truly has a servant's heart when it comes to honoring those who serve our great country.
Sadly, the kind and generous man has suffered a great tragedy. On January 5, 2024, Gary Sinise's son Mac died.
Mac Sinise Health
McCanna Anthony Sinise, who simply went by Mac, is the only son of Gary Sinise and Moira Harris. The couple also has two daughters, Sophie and Ella.
RELATED: Inside The Impressive 40+ Year Marriage Of Gary Sinise And Wife Moira Harris
Gary Sinise's son Mac joined his father in supporting military service members, veterans, first responders, and their families. Mac went to work at the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2017. And Gary considered it a blessing to share his passion with his son.
"As a father, having him as part of the Foundation was a gift," Gary said."He was a great representative who cared about the mission and those we serve, and I was eager to watch him grow with the organization."
Also, like his father, Mac Sinise shared a love of music. He started playing drums at 9 years old and even played with his dad at some of the Lt. Dan Band shows when the group's regular drummer couldn't make it.
Sadly, in 2018 and just two months after his mother's cancer diagnosis, doctors diagnosed Gary Sinise's son with Chordoma.
RELATED: Gary Sinise Made a Promise To A Widow And Her Grieving Children And It Changed Everything
"Chordoma is a one in a million cancer," Gary explained. "Originating in the spine, Chordoma affects, on average, only 300 people in the U.S. per year. In 70% of the cases the initial tumor can be removed, and it is cured. But in 30% of the cases, perhaps about 90 people per year, the cancer returns."
Unfortunately, the latter proved to be true for Mac.
Making The Most Of His Time
Gary Sinise's son Mac underwent surgery in September of 2018 to remove a tumor, and then a subsequent spine procedure in February 2019 to clear out infection. However, a few months later, scans revealed the chordoma was back and spreading.
Mac Sinise spent several years battling this rare cancer. The illness ate away at his body, robbing him of so much physically, including his ability to play the drums. However, Mac refused to let it steal his joy.
RELATED: Battling Loss, Broken Bones, And Parkinson's Disease, Michael J Fox Stays Happy And Inspires
Mac continued serving at the Gary Sinise Foundation until he absolutely couldn't any longer. He then began working from home to help launch the Gary Sinise Foundation podcast. Mac even interviewed his dad for the show!
LISTEN: Gary Sinise's Son Interviews Him
Even though the effects of chordoma made playing the drums impossible, Mac continued making music.
RELATED: Toby Keith Announced Sickness and Then Died at Age 62 After a Roller Coaster Battle
From his hospital bed, he worked on finishing a piece of music he'd started writing in college called “Arctic Circles.” Upon his mother's suggestion, Mac also learned how to play the harmonica. He then teamed up with various musicians (including his dad) to spend his final days creating an album of music called Resurrection & Revival.
Gary Sinise's Son Dies At 33
In the same week the album went to press, Gary Sinise's son lost his battle with chordoma.
"Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can," Gary wrote in a tribute to his son. "As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one."
Despite the intense grief Gary Sinise and his family faced, he will forever cherish the time spent with his son, Mac.
"While our hearts ache at missing him, we are comforted in knowing that Mac is no longer struggling, and inspired and moved by how he managed it. He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying," Gary said. "I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad."
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: TobyMac Shares the Story of ‘Faithfully,’ a Song That Helped Him Push Forward After Son’s Death
What a beautiful legacy left behind by this young man. Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Sinise family.
"And you now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you." John 16:22
LISTEN: Dana Carvey Opens Up About the Pain of Losing His Son | Boy’s Uplifting Words for Bullied Girl Go Viral
h/t: Yahoo
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/The Charlie Daniels Band
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to See the Good on Good Friday and Every Day - Your Daily Prayer - April 18
Just like the first Easter, our good God will roll away the stone from the grave of every one of your days and resurrect something more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to See the Good on Good Friday and Every Day - Your Daily Prayer - April 18
Just like the first Easter, our good God will roll away the stone from the grave of every one of your days and resurrect something more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Past Stories
- Couple Reunites 15-Year-Old Blind Dog With Owners After Finding Her in the Wilderness
- He Saved Her Life in a Pool Accident Five Years Ago, Now They Are Engaged
- Actress Chrissy Metz Left Hollywood For Nashville and She Couldn't Be Happier
- Stranger Helps 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Afford to Retire, Now Her Prayers Have Been Answered
- 49-Year-Old Melanie Barratt Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim the English Channel
- 9-Year-Old Boy Remembered By Teacher and Community After Being Swept Away By Flood Waters
- 16-Year-Old Heard a Family's Cries and Saved Them From a House Fire
- Family Grows From 4 to 8 Overnight After Welcoming Identical Quadruplet Daughters
- Little Girl With Autism Reminds Others of Snow White and Her Connection to Animals
- Candace Cameron Bure Shares Fantastic News That Former Co-star, Dave Coulier, is Cancer-Free
- Soldier is Reunited With the Dog She Served With While Deployed
- Her Grandfather Kept a Log of Every Memory He Had With Her Grandmother, and It's Precious
- This 30-Year-Old Feline Might Just Be the World's Oldest Cat
- Special Messages About Love From Kindergarten Class Displayed at Teacher's Wedding
- A Sneaky Brown Tree Snake Slithers Into An Oven in Australia, and Luckily Doesn't Get Cooked
- Florida Man Meets the Son Who Had Been Searching For Him For Almost 40 Years
- Four-Year-Old Sends Out a Message in a Bottle, Receives Reply Less Than Two Weeks Later
- Delivery Driver Saves Woman's Life After Double Checking When Something Didn't Seem Right
- Woman in Heels Stops Robbery at Convenience Store With Her Impressive Martial Arts Skills
- Man That Survived More Than 90 Days at Sea Thought About His Mother Every Single Day
- Quick Thinking 9-Year-Old Saves Choking Friend During Snack Time Emergency
- Video Store Owner Creates 'Christina's Corner' For a Long-Time Customer
- Texas Man Gets Married in the Hospital After Kidney Transplant
- A Bride to Be and Her Best Friend Have Plane to Themselves and Enjoy Every Minute of it
- Dogs Come to School to Help Comfort Young Students Affected by the Eaton Fire
- Toddler Braves the Dark to Save His Great-Grandma
- All Four of These Best Friends Now Live On the Same Street and It's Amazing
- Woman Finds the Most Precious Message Inside Her Thrift Store Purchase
- Mom is Hit By a Piece of Power Tool On Her Way to Walt Disney World
- Veteran Who Loved Burger King Honored With His Own Chair
- Toddler Using Old Phone Calls 911 For Donuts and Gets a Sweet Surprise
- Hospital Hosts Special Father-Daughter Dance for Young Girl Who Missed the One at Her School
- Carl Thomas Dean, Dolly Parton's Husband of Almost 60 Years, Passes Away at 82
- Woman Donates Her Kidney to Help Save Prom Date From 35 Years Ago
- Couple Thank and Befriend Man Who Saved Their House From a Wildfire
- After 84 Years of Marriage, This Couple Just Broke a Record, and Share Some Great Advice
- Woman Gives Birth On Plane With the Help of a Flight Attendant
- Married For 68 Years, This Husband Does This Simple Sweet Thing For His Wife Every Night
- A Couple in Their 90s Spent 73 Years Apart, Now They Are Engaged
- Woman Reunites With Toddler She Saved From Drowning Back in 1961
- Three Superhero Teens Saved Man on Railroad Tracks After Spotting Him From Their Classroom
- Father and Son Are Able to Survive Night in the Utah Wilderness After Finding a Backpack
- Top Resurrection Sunday Songs You Must Listen To This Year
- Grumpy Grey Seal Takes Over Hotel Room in the Netherlands, To Take a Nap
- His Dog Was Lost For Almost a Decade, But Now He is Back Home Again
- Rejoice with These Top Easter Songs for Worship and Praise
- After Going On a Fun Airport Journey, A Lost Stuffed Bunny Finds Its Way Back Home
- A Bull Rider Knows That God Has Bigger Plans After Taking a Bull's Horn In His Neck
- 98-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Has a Special Connection to Her Great-Granddaughter
- Mom Receives a Heartwarming Message From Best Friend After Son is Diagnosed With Autism
Top Artists
Top Music Videos

chris rupp Soul-Stirring Chris Rupp A Cappella ‘I Will Rise’ Cover

Universal Music Group Anna Golden's Stunning Performance of 'The Church I Grew Up In' Captivates

Passion Music 'The Lord Will Provide' Passion And Landon Wolfe Live Performance

GodTube Music Anne Wilson Talks Sharing Her Faith at Secular Country Concerts

Passion Music Passion Powerful ‘He Who is to Come' Live Performance
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.