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Gary Sinise is urging fathers to make time for their children as adults, recalling an eight-day road trip he took with his son Mac in 2017. Sinise discussed the trip and his new book about Mac, who died of chordoma in 2024, on TODAY on Nov. 10.
Gary Sinise is encouraging fathers to spend time with their adult children, drawing on an eight-day road trip he took with his son, McCanna “Mac” Sinise, in November 2017. Sinise shared the advice in a Nov. 10 TODAY interview about his book, Graceful Warrior, which recounts his family’s experience after Mac was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2024.
Sinise said he was busy with work when he and Mac, then 26, decided to take the trip. Mac had moved back home while going through what his father described as “a lot of anguish.” The two had not taken a road trip together since Mac was a child. They visited Johnson Space Center in Houston, New Orleans and Savannah, Georgia.
“If I would’ve put that off — because I was very, very busy and I had to find the time — if I would’ve put that off, we wouldn’t have gotten to it,” Sinise said on TODAY. He added: “I encourage all fathers — you do a lot with your kids when they’re at home, but take advantage of the times that you can when they’re adults and spend that time with them.”
Sinise described the trip in a Facebook post ahead of the book’s publication as “one of the most meaningful and special things I did with my son in the last few years of his life.” Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through was released on Nov. 10, the date Mac would have turned 36.
Why the Road Trip Still Matters
Sinise’s advice is rooted in a specific memory: he and Mac made time for a trip before Mac’s diagnosis, and Sinise now sees it as a lasting part of their relationship. His comments speak to parents whose children are grown, extending the idea of family time beyond the years when children live at home.
The story also shows how a private family experience became part of a public account of grief. Sinise said the response to an obituary he shared after Mac’s death included messages from parents who had faced similar loss and had not spoken openly about their pain. He said those responses helped prompt him to write more fully about Mac and the family’s experience.
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Mac Sinise’s Diagnosis and Legacy
Mac was a musician who played drums in high school and later studied at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he became a composer. Sinise remembered him as “just kind of an inspirational guy” and “very humble.”
According to his father, Mac developed intense tailbone pain while touring overseas. A CT scan in 2018 found a large tumor, and he was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare, slow-growing bone cancer that most often forms at the top or bottom of the spine, according to the Mayo Clinic. Mac died on Jan. 5, 2024, at 33. Sinise had kept his son’s cancer journey private before sharing an obituary on his nonprofit’s website after Mac’s death.
“I encourage all fathers — you do a lot with your kids when they’re at home, but take advantage of the times that you can when they’re adults and spend that time with them.”
— Gary Sinise, speaking on TODAY
What the Interview Does Not Detail
The TODAY report does not provide further details about Mac’s treatment or the course of his illness beyond the diagnosis and his death. Sinise’s advice reflects his experience with his son; the report does not present it as guidance from a parenting or medical authority. No additional plans for the book or related events were included in the source report.
Graceful Warrior was released Nov. 10. In the TODAY interview, Sinise said the book grew out of responses to the obituary he shared after Mac’s death, including messages from people who recognized their own grief in the family’s story. The interview and book bring the family’s account to readers; the source report does not identify a further public milestone or follow-up date.
Key Questions
What advice did Gary Sinise share for fathers?
He encouraged fathers to make time to spend with their children as adults, not only while they are growing up at home.
When did Gary and Mac Sinise take their road trip?
They took an eight-day trip in November 2017, when Mac was 26. They visited Houston’s Johnson Space Center, New Orleans and Savannah, Georgia.
What was Mac Sinise diagnosed with?
Mac was diagnosed with chordoma in 2018 after a scan found a large tumor, according to his father. Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing bone cancer that often forms at either end of the spine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
When did Mac Sinise die?
Mac Sinise died on Jan. 5, 2024, at age 33.
What is Gary Sinise’s book about?
Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through tells the story of Mac and the family’s experience through his illness and death. It was released Nov. 10, the date Mac would have turned 36.
Source: today.com
