Rob Delaney Reveals Birth of Fourth Child — 7 Months After Death of Son
Catastrophe actor Rob Delaney and his wife, Leah, recently revealed that they welcomed their fourth child — a son — in August, only seven months after the devastating loss of their 2-year-old, Henry, who died from brain cancer.
This December, Delaney told the U.K.’s The Sunday Times Magazine, “We likely would’ve had a fourth anyway. But I mean, there’s mixed feelings. It’s sort of like they touch each other a little bit, they exist in separate lanes. Having another child in no way, shape or form eases the grief of Henry dying.”
Delaney referred to his newborn son as “magical” in the same interview. “I want to gobble him up and he deserves our full attention and love,” he said. “And he grew in the same womb as Henry.”
Delaney has been very open on social media about the loss of his son. He posts frequently on Twitter about the grieving process of losing a child.
“I tell people, I’m a balloon that is filled almost to the point of bursting, and when you bring up my dead son, it’s like you’ve let a little out. It’s like a gift,” he also told The Sunday Times. “I’m an ambassador from the f—king other side now, and I feel a bit of a responsibility, being in the public eye, to show people what grief looks like. It’s just so weird to me how we deny grief, how we shut it out.”
On December 26, Delaney posted about his first Christmas without his son. “The day itself was okay, maybe because there were so many horrible, painful days leading up to it. We must have hit our quota or something. We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day.”
Henry was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, just after his first birthday. He died in January 2018.
“My wife and Henry’s older brothers are devastated of course,” Delaney said on Facebook back in February. “Henry was a joy. He was smart, funny and mischievous and we had so many wonderful adventures had together, particularly after he’d moved home following fifteen months living in hospitals. His tumor and surgery left him with significant physical disabilities, but he quickly learned sign language and developed his own method of getting from A to B shuffling on his beautiful little bum. His drive to live and to love and to connect was profound.”
He continued, “I am astonished by the love-in-action displayed by Henry’s mom and his brothers. They are why I will endeavor to not go mad with grief. I don’t want to miss out on their beautiful lives. I’m greedy for more experiences with them.”
We’re thrilled that the family has a new member, but we can’t imagine what a bittersweet time it is for them as well.
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