Rob Delaney Lost His 2-Year-Old Son to Cancer — inside the Heart-Wrenching Story

Rob Delaney is a loving father-of-four who lost his son to brain cancer after two years of battling it. Here’s a look at the actor’s painful story of grief.

Rob Delaney, who is best known for writing and starring in “Catastrophe,” had a two-year-old son, Henry, who died from brain cancer.

His little bundle of joy battled the fatal disease for most of his time on earth and had treatments that took away a part of his sight. Here’s a look at the tragic story that led to his demise.

SIGNS OF SOMETHING WRONG

During Delaney’s eldest son’s fifth birthday, Henry vomited. His father had just fed him blueberries, which was evident with what had come out of him.

At that time, Henry’s family saw nothing wrong with what happened, thinking that he had too many blueberries.

The following day, he vomited a few more times, and again days later, which drove Delaney and his wife to bring their son to the hospital.

The actor made it clear that having another child was not, in any way, going to help his grieving process, in the same way that Henry’s death was not going to take the magic away from having a new baby.

KNOWING OF HIS CANCER DIAGNOSIS

It had only been a few days past his first birthday in 2016 when Delaney and his family learned of Henry’s brain tumor.

The months to follow saw several treatments, including surgery, to remove the tumor, leaving him with a few disabilities.

At a young age, Henry lost part of his eyesight due to nerve damage and had to learn sign language to communicate.

Everything broke Delaney’s heart. For over a year, he did not hear his youngest boy speak. On one occasion, his wife walked in on him in tears, while playing the recordings of Henry making sounds as a baby.

Henry also had to be fed through a tube in his stomach, which he ended up vomiting. Despite the difficulties, the young boy and his family were all hopeful of the situation.

“His drive to live and to love and to connect was profound,” Delaney said of his son. “I am astonished by the love-in-action displayed by Henry’s mom and his brothers.”

Sadly, Henry’s cancer returned and took his life in January 2018. The Delaney family grieved the loss of their youngest member, especially Henry’s father.

However, Delaney stayed strong for his wife, Leah, and kids. “They are why I will endeavor to not go mad with grief,” he said. “I don’t want to miss out on their beautiful lives.”

REMEMBERING HENRY

The actor described his late son as “smart, funny, and mischievous” and shared beautiful photos of Henry on social media.

On his third birthday, Delaney posted a photo of his son as an infant, wrapped in a blue blanket. He also asked his fans and followers to make donations to two organizations, if possible.

In the following post, he shared a photo of his son as a toddler, playing with a yellow toy bus and a giant turtle. The picture showed Henry’s tracheostomy tube and damaged eye from surgery.

Months after his passing, the “Catastrophe” star published an essay about his son, expressing the pain he felt during the times he saw his son endure brain cancer. He wrote:

“I may wish Henry wasn’t in the hospital [...]. But I’m always, always happy to enter the hospital every morning and see him.”

Recently, Delaney posted yet another photo with his little angel. “I’m still his dad & he’s still my son,” he wrote.

WELCOMING ANOTHER LITTLE ONE

Over half a year after Henry passed away, the couple welcomed another child. Leah became pregnant shortly before their son passed away.

The actor made it clear that having another child was not, in any way, going to help his grieving process, in the same way that Henry’s death was not going to take the magic away from having a new baby.

Although mourning for their son’s loss will take a while, the couple is comforted knowing that they are in the process as a family, guarded by a little angel.