The actor found himself thinking of a Paul Simon song from the album “Graceland”: “Breakdowns come and breakdowns go, so what are you gonna do about it?” This lyric became an inspiration for action.
He took a year off from acting, dedicating himself to understanding Down syndrome. Together with Lauren, he attended seminars and absorbed all the information they could find, preparing to support Max through his journey.
Although Max was spared some of the common complications associated with Down syndrome, such as heart and digestive issues, he wasn’t immune to others, like experiencing seizures at the age of three.
This did not make the journey any easier. The actor realized that he could not plan ahead like most parents but needed to ensure that his child’s current needs were met. He expressed, “When your child stops breathing 60 times a night, you don’t worry about what’s going on next year or even next week. You put aside thoughts about which preschool you’re going to enroll him in and focus on how he’s doing right now.”
As he came to terms with Max’s condition, he acknowledged a painful reality: the future he had envisioned, filled with father-son activities like playing catch, might never materialize. “But just because I gave up hoping for such things doesn’t mean I didn’t miss them. It was a huge forfeiture of desire and expectations,” he added.
As a result, the actor has reflected on the deeper meaning as he watches Max grow. He admitted that one of the hardest parts of raising a child with Down syndrome is the difficulty in making age-appropriate friendships as a teenager.
