Actor Mark Ruffalo opens up in the new issue of Men’s Journal about his
Brain tumor and the loss of his younger brother
In 2002, doctors found a tumor behind Ruffalo’s ear right before his first son was born. Ruffalo was worried about stressing his pregnant wife out, so he kept quiet for weeks reported by TheHuffingtonPost. After his son Keen was born he finally shared the news with his family. "I was certain I was going to die," he shared with Men’s Journal. He was worried he wouldn’t see his son grow up, "I made a tape for him, for when he was old enough to understand. Just saying, Hey, this is who I am." Ruffalo had the surgery, and the tumor turned out to be benign but the surgery paralyzed the left side of his face. After many long months in hiding, Ruffalo made a full recovery only to be hit by another tragedy.
Ruffalo’s brother Scott—a hairdresser in Hollywood—was found dead in his home nearly five years ago. Ruffalo believes he never would have made it in Hollywood without the influence of his younger brother. "He was the mayor of Beverly Hills. For years, people would meet me and go, 'You're Scotty Ruffalo's brother? I love your brother. He's f--king amazing.'"
Ruffalo admitted to the magazine that he has taken roles that remind him of his younger brother "You never get over it; you just get used to it." He shared "but take these tragic things and turn them into something meaningful and worthy of the loss. Make it count."
photo courtesy Men's Journal