Rob Delaney is making sure his youngest child’s memory lives on this Christmas season.
The Catastrophe star took to Twitter Wednesday to share with his fans how he and his pregnant wife Leah spent the holiday with their two older sons, almost a year after 2½-year-old Henry died following a battle with brain cancer.
“Our first Christmas without Henry came & went. 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,” wrote Delaney, 41, in the bittersweet social-media post.
Henry’s presence was celebrated, though, as the actor explained: “We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day.”
Delaney also shared his reasoning behind giving his followers a candid look into the reality of his family life, tweeting, “I speak publicly about Henry in an effort to destigmatize grief. My family is sad & in pain because our beautiful 2 yr old boy died after a long illness. Why wouldn’t we be sad? Why wouldn’t we be angry and confused?”
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Rob Delaney and son HenryRELATED: Rob Delaney Shares Photo of His Son Henry Taken “Not Long Before He Died” of Brain Cancer
In a third post, he revealed that the tweets he shares “aren’t therapeutic to me, nor are they ‘updates’ ” but instead a way for him to reach out to others who have experienced similar tragedies so they know they are not alone.
“I just want other bereaved parents & siblings to feel seen/heard/respected/loved. And maybe they might help someone not schooled in grief support a friend better. I don’t know,” the actor mused.
Many fellow stars reached out in response to Delaney, including Angela Kinsey, who recounted her family’s own harrowing struggle with grief.
“Sending your family my love,” wrote The Office alum. “My Dad passed away and then my nephew within a short time of each other a few years ago. Grief is still a day by day journey for us and the holidays seem to magnify it all. Thanks for posting. I think it’s important to know we are not alone in grief.”
RELATED VIDEO: Rob Delaney Reveals His Wife Leah Is Pregnant 5 Months After Their Son’s Death
In June — five months after Henry’s death — Delaney announced that he and his wife were expecting a baby.
Sharing the happy news, the Deadpool 2 actor tweeted, “Just had 2 typically wonderful @NHSEnglandLDN midwives visit my pregnant wife & I for a home birth assessment.”
Alongside the announcement, Delaney shared a video of himself speaking about how the U.K.’s National Health Service financially helped his family during Henry’s battle with brain cancer. “See my sad love letter to the NHS below,” he added.
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