This Movie Star Hid His Brain Tumor, Fearing He’d Die, While His Wife Was Carrying Their Baby

A well-known Hollywood star faced a terrifying secret while his wife was expecting their first child. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, he kept this news to himself, fearing he might die and leave his family behind. Today, he is happily married to his wife of 24 years and is a proud father of three children.

Their journey began in 1998 on the streets of Los Angeles, where the actor knew he had found the woman he would marry. Despite having little, he won her heart with his charm and wit. Their story includes his health battle and how their experiences shaped their family life.

 

The Couple’s Love Story

 

This talented Hollywood star is well-known in the entertainment industry and has built an illustrious career. Aside from his esteemed professional life, he is a doting father and husband.

He has been married for 24 years, but their relationship spans back to 1998 when they first met on the streets of Los Angeles. The film star had been taking a stroll with a friend when he saw his future wife.

He recalls instantly knowing that he would someday make the woman his wife upon first glance of her. However, the actor also admits that courting her was not without its challenges.

Of the reason why trying to impress her was challenging, the actor explained, “All I had was my decency, wit, and charm — I didn’t have anything. When I met her, she was like, ‘You don’t have a driver’s license, you don’t have a credit card. What’s wrong with you, dude? I can’t be with you!'”

On top of all that, his living situation could have been better as he resided in a converted garage. However, the lady didn’t allow herself to be fussed about the material things too much.

She still took a chance on him and believed in his acting skills, which she already knew would garner him incredible success without even having seen him perform. Since then, the lovebirds have only grown stronger and more in love, with the actor frequently and proudly professing his love for his wife.

Be it for Valentine’s Day or birthdays, he posts of her on various occasions, like when she turned 51 last year. “So happy we found each other and held on for dear life through everything that came and has left,” he expressed.

During the course of their enduring and beautiful relationship, the couple has welcomed three kids: Keen, Bella Noche, and Odette. They raised their children in a large farmhouse for some time before moving back to New York.

The move was prompted by the parents wanting to be closer to a school with a robust dyslexic program, a learning disability that the actor believes he had when he was younger.

 

The Near-Death Experience

 

Before welcoming their three children into the world, the couple faced a tragic situation in their lives. When his wife, Sunrise, was on the cusp of giving birth to their firstborn son, Keen, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Prior to getting examined by a doctor, the actor had already figured out he had a brain tumor. The “Dark Waters” talent shared, “I had this crazy dream that I had a brain tumor. I just woke up, and I just knew that I had a brain tumor. There was no way that I didn’t…”

After the doctor’s analysis and a CT scan, it was determined that he had an acoustic neuroma. The mass was the size of a walnut and located behind his left ear.

Medical professionals informed him that they would be able to operate to remove the mass. However, they warned that in doing so, he stood a 30% chance of losing the motor and function of the left side of his face.

Plagued with the situation at hand and especially given the fact that a pregnant Sunrise was due to give birth shortly, he decided to keep the news to himself for weeks.

A week following the birth of Keen, he let his family know what he was going through and, two weeks after that, underwent surgery. Naturally, he was terrified about what could potentially happen to him. In fact, he admitted, “I was certain I was going to die.”

The “13 Going on 30” star also feared that Keen would have to grow up without a dad and even made a tape for him to remember him by when he got older.

Fortunately, the tumor was benign and was removed. But, as doctors predicted, the left side of his face went slack and was paralyzed for a while. He also lost hearing in his left ear after the operation.

His equilibrium was also thrown out of whack, and he would fall a lot. Luckily, he went on to make a full recovery. The ordeal gave him a renewed sense of life and purpose, where he learned to appreciate and prioritize the most important things.

 

He Raises Three Look-Alike Kids With His Beloved Wife of 24 Years

 

Of those most important priorities in the Hollywood legend’s life, his family sits at the pinnacle. His children mean the world and more to their proud father, whom they closely resemble. The kids are pretty much carbon copies of him, with their similar thick, dark, and curly hair, kind brown eyes, and laid-back demeanor.

Interestingly enough, when each child was born, the parents initially had no names for them. The actor explained that while he and Sunrise certainly had a few names they selected when Keen was born, none of them were the right fit for him.

They had tried sounding out different names each day until they were rushed along by the hospital where Keen was born, who informed them they had a time limit on picking one before they chose it for them.

As young children, Odette and her brothers lived in Callicoon with their parents for some time after the couple decided to leave Los Angeles. While there, they attended Montessori school.

A big appeal of previously living in Callicoon full-time, in addition to the affordability, was the strong sense of community. According to Sunrise, “…Callicoon…ticked off all the boxes for me. The community of people — people mean a lot to me.”

Being that she is married to a busy and booked actor, Sunrise bears a lot of the responsibility of tending to their kids, which her husband is extremely grateful for, dubbing her a hero.

When it’s his turn to play daddy daycare when Sunrise is busy, he admits that raising kids is not as easy as his wife may make it look. He disclosed, “It’s intense…”

Mark Ruffalo went on to joke about how frazzled he gets by their laundry alone, which he quipped about being enough to destroy a parent.

The Hollywood film star has come a long way since very nearly not being around to see his kids grow up, and now cherishes every moment he gets to spend with his beautiful family.