"I’m a mess…I need a lot of help” Rob Delaney bares soul 14 months after 2-year-old son’s death

It’s been 14 months since Rob Delaney and his wife Leah lost his 2-year-old son Henry to a brain tumor that had progressed to cancer last January.

Following a month after the tragic death of Henry, Delaney broke the devastating news on Facebook.

Treatment with NHS

Rob Delaney admitted in a charity event with London's Evening Standard,

"I’m a mess. My child died 14 months ago and I’m basically a bag of wet rubbish. I need a lot of help. It has been very hard. It comes in waves. I’ve learned to not control how the waves come. Right now I’m sad a lot.

The reason I’m being honest with you and not trying to impress you, and make you think I’m cool or that I’m a tough guy, or maybe working through loss in an inspiring way, is that I have found that if a bereaved parent or bereaved sibling reads this...

I want them to know that it’s okay that they feel terrible, sad, confused and so brutally humbled.”

Delaney, who is of Catastrophe fame had taken his son to NHS for treatment and had been vocal about his experience with the NHS.

The Rainbow Trust

The Rainbow Trust charity supports the families of seriously ill children. Delaney, his wife, and two other sons are also seeking help from the charity for coping with Henry’s illness and death.

The Delaney family had begun to connect with the trust in the last seven months of Henry’s life, who was receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Rob Delaney recalled,

"The care worker assigned to us was a woman named Fiona who was just amazing, and remains so. She still comes and visits us sometimes.

At that point we didn’t know Henry was going to die. We knew he was disabled by his tumour and his surgery. Fiona was like a paratrooper who just drops in and has the skill set to help people in unbelievable pain and fear."

Son Henry

Rob Delaney and his wife Leah’s son Henry Delaney was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 after symptoms of persistent vomiting and weight loss were observed. Little Henry had just turned one.

Doctors had operated on the toddler to remove a tumor followed by 15 months of treatment in the hospital. The surgery had left Henry with 'significant physical disabilities' but was quick to adapt to changes. Delaney had said at the time,

“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.”

In the autumn of 2017, they were told that the cancer had returned. Henry passed away in January 2018.

Also read: Emilia Clarke survived a stroke and 3 brain surgeries within 3 years! Here she tells all

Magical baby

Seven months after Henry’s death, Delaney and his wife welcomed their 'magical' fourth son in August 2018. Speaking of the decision to have the fourth child, he had shared,

“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, but they almost exist in separate lanes. Having another child in no way, shape or form eases the grief of Henry dying.

But also having Henry dying doesn’t make our new son any less magical. I want to gobble him up and he deserves our full attention and love, and he grew in the same womb as Henry.”

But he did have his fair share of worries. Rob Delaney admitted that he was worried he wouldn't bond with his new baby son who was born in August 2018 and he is still grieving “all the time”.

Short Bio

Rob Delaney is an American actor of Catastrophe fame. Another recognized role he had was in the 2018 action-comedy Deadpool 2. In addition to acting, he is also a writer and a stand-up comedian... Click here for Full Bio