Jeff Bridges Fulfilled Part of Wife's Dream by Walking Daughter Down the Aisle after Surviving Cancer Battle

A couple of months ago, Jeff Bridges was fighting for his life after he was diagnosed with cancer before contacting COVID-19 while undergoing therapy. However, the actor battled through, and recently we saw that he walked his daughter down the aisle.

American actor Jeff Bridges will go down as one of the greatest actors of his generation. With over 50 years of experience working in Hollywood, the iconic actor has starred in multiple top-rated movies. Jeff made his acting breakthrough portraying a young man adrift in a dying Texan town in the 1971 film "The Last Picture Show."

The movie earned the actor his first Academy Award nomination. His performance in the movie also led to him starring in films like "The Big Lebowski," "Starman," "The Fisher King," and "True Grit."

Away from movies, Jeff is also a big family man. The actor has been married to his wife Susan Bridges, for 45 years. He met Susan while filming the 1975 movie "Rancho Deluxe" in Paradise Valley, Montana, and according to him, the connection was instant.

"It Was Love at First Sight," Jeff noted. At the time, Susan worked as a waitress, but that did not stop Jeff from pursuing a relationship.

After summoning enough courage, the actor, who could not take his eyes off her, walked over to ask her out. However, Susan rejected his advances. She told him it was a small town and they might run into each other again.

Despite the rejection, Jeff could not stop thinking about her. The two later got to know each other better, and while touring houses, Susan revealed she was ready to get married and have kids with or without Jeff. Jeff proposed to her two years after they met, and the pair subsequently exchanged marital vows.

The couple quickly added kids to their family, in line with Susan's plans. They became parents to three daughters; Isabelle, Jessica, and Hayley.

Their first daughter Isabelle who arrived in 1983, is now a facilitator acting to empower mothers. She currently lives in Oakland with her husband, Brandon Boesch. Isabelle is also a mother to two beautiful kids, Grace and Ben, providing Jeff and Susan with their first set of grandkids.

Meanwhile, her sister, Jessica, inherited their father's musical abilities and is now a talented singer and songwriter. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she performs live gigs. The actor's youngest daughter Hayley is an interior designer living in Santa Babara.

JEFF BRIDGE'S HEALTH ISSUES

Jeff and his wife Susan faced one of their biggest tests after the actor was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. According to Susan, immediately after they heard the diagnosis, the family took steps to do what they had to do.

First, Jeff began chemotherapy by infusion before moving to oral chemo, and everything seemed to work fine; the tumor in his body started to shrink. However, just a month after he began chemotherapy, the actor was informed he might have been exposed to COVID-19 at the treatment center.

Jeff's worst fears were confirmed when he tested positive for the virus. But unfortunately, the vaccine was not yet available, and chemo had already weakened his immune system. The actor had no defenses against the virus, and it looked like everything was working against him.

Covid worsened Jeff's illness, causing him to spend months in the hospital while experiencing extreme pain. His health was so bad that nurses had to help the actor with oxygen when he could not roll over in bed. Susan explained she could not bear seeing her husband in such a state. She noted:

"We didn't know if he would recover."

Their concerns heightened when she got a call from the hospital that they might have to put Jeff on a ventilator. "Save his life. No matter what you have to do." Susan told the doctors.

The medical team succeeded in keeping Jeff off the ventilator; however, according to the actor, he was very close to dying. The doctor kept encouraging him to hold on and keep fighting, but Jeff was in surrender mode and was ready to die.

Thankfully, after the actor received a convalescent plasma treatment, his health improved. He slowly began working towards regaining his strength, working with a physical therapist three times a week.

Throughout his ordeals, the actor had his wife Susan by his side. Her love and the family's support helped him get through one of the most challenging times of their lives.

JEFF BRIDGES ATTENDED HIS DAUGHTER'S WEDDING AFTER RECOVERING

Jeff was present on Christmas Eve 2019 in Montana when his youngest daughter Hayley said yes to a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Justin.

However, less than a year later, he got diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and the family had to go through a period where they did not know if he would survive. When he walked Hayley down the aisle, in the photos we could just see on July 2022, the moment served a much higher purpose and meant much to the family.

Jeff donning a black suit with a dusty blue tie and delicate fern boutonniere, walked Hayley, who wore an elegant A-line wedding dress with a V-neckline and lace overlay down the aisle.

The pair walked down the aisle together to the song "Sweet Thing" by Van Morrison, and they emerged together again at the reception for an adorable father-daughter dance.

Watching her husband walk their daughter down the aisle was a very touching moment for Susan, who months before did not know if her husband would die or not.

While speaking to VNA Health, the care center that helped Jeff through his ailment, Susan disclosed that her dream was to see her husband get out of bed, walk and live normally again.

She then praised VNA for helping her husband reach these goals. The mother of three also noted that watching Jeff walk Hayley down the aisle was a true joy.

Susan confessed she did not know if Jeff would be able to experience that moment and that her husband's physical therapy with VNA therapist Zach paid off.