\nA well-known actor shared the ups and downs of raising a child with Down syndrome. He opened up about this journey and how it took him by surprise. These challenges led him to take a break from his career, but this transformative turn brought a lot of personal growth.\n
In the glitz and glam of Hollywood, it is rare for fans to get a closer look into the inspiration and process of bringing a character to life. This actor, known for his memorable performances in the NBC comedy \u201cScrubs\u201d and films like \u201cOffice Space\u201d and \u201cPlatoon,\u201d has opened up about the personal challenges that inspired his on-screen characters.\n
However, these challenges were more than just inspirations; they were life-changing lessons and rewards that altered the trajectory of the actor’s personal and professional life.\n
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The actor\u2019s life took a transformative turn when his son Max was born in August 1997, coincidentally on the day Princess Diana died. People around him and his ex-wife Lauren Lambert, were shocked, but the parents did not understand the fuss.\n
But just as the world was shocked at the death of Princess Diana, the actor and the mother of his son also experienced an unexpected shift. They had anticipated the birth of a daughter but were surprised by the arrival of a son.\n
Twenty minutes after Max\u2019s birth, the doctors delivered more unexpected news, informing them that their newborn son was diagnosed with Down syndrome. The parents knew nothing about the condition nor had any indication that their child could be born with it.\n
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The prenatal visits had been completely smooth, with the only news from the blood protein test and sonogram indicating they would be having a girl. \u201cWe did not have the amnio because we were discouraged from having it since Max\u2019s mom was very healthy, and I was healthy, with no history of challenges in either of our families,\u201d the actor explained.\n
The process of grappling with his son\u2019s diagnosis was a rollercoaster. Initially, he wished he could take on his son\u2019s challenges to spare him any suffering. Despite having no family history of the condition, the father was determined to educate himself about Down syndrome.\n
He learned that it is the most common genetic disorder, occurring once in every 800 births\u2014a random twist of nature with no one to blame. However, the initial stages of processing this information were difficult.\n
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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.\n
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.\n
Although Max was spared some of the common complications associated with Down syndrome, such as heart and digestive issues, he wasn\u2019t immune to others, like experiencing seizures at the age of three.\n
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\u2019s current needs were met. He expressed, \u201cWhen 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.\u201d\n
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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. \u201cBut 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,\u201d he added.\n
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.\n
He reflected on his own adolescence, adding that he never had friends with Down syndrome when he was a teenager, which shed light on the isolation often experienced by this community.\n
Fortunately, Max has the support and love of his sisters, Billie Grace, and Kate, who have become his primary social circle. On the other side, the actor expressed that in the future, the hard truth is that friendships for Max will rarely happen innately.\n
“You have to generate friendship, and that\u2019s a really hard one to swallow because you certainly can\u2019t force a teenager to be your son\u2019s friend, nor would you want to,” reiterated, the hands on father in question John McGinley.\n
Despite the challenges, there were moments of profound joy and significant milestones that reshaped the John’s perspective. He looked back on a casual day at the beach in Malibu, which brought an unexpected breakthrough.\n
Max, who often enjoyed throwing a tennis ball for the dogs, suddenly threw the ball to his father. What followed was a simple game of catch, but it was a significant moment for the actor because he realized that he was playing catch with his son.\n
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It symbolized a connection he had long thought impossible. \u201cThat ball toss helped me understand that all the things I had surrendered hope of ever doing with my son were still attainable; they were just waiting for the right time,\u201d John said.\n
This was not the only moment of pride the father had witnessed. He got to see Max grow up to be healthy. While he was in third grade, he was proud to see him develop impressive reading and math skills. But outside of school, Max enjoyed jumping on the trampoline and swimming.\n
Although the “Scrubs\u201d star has faced many challenges in fatherhood, he credits his son for dramatically reshaping his understanding of life’s deeper values.\n
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He explained, “I had no idea what love was until I met Max. I didn\u2019t know what compassion was; I had no idea what patience was. Max is the glue that holds this family together. He adores his two sisters. He\u2019s the glue. Everything we do is better when we\u2019re a team when we\u2019re all together and we\u2019re doing it.”\n
Max has not only brought many lessons and growth into the actor\u2019s life but also brought him his wife Nichole McGinley. The couple met on a beach in Malibu while John was playing a game of fetch with his dogs.\n
His son played the pivotal role of approaching the yoga teacher. John humorously recounted the moment, saying, “Max went over to this hot blonde behind me, and I was just aghast. I was like, \u2018Max, you get the dogs. I\u2019ll talk to the hot blondes.\u2019 And so we switched.” From there, the rest was history.\n
It is clearly no secret that Max is a big inspiration in John\u2019s life. Their deep bond has not only transformed his personal life but also influenced his professional work, particularly his portrayal of Dr. Perry Cox on NBC\u2019s \u201cScrubs.\u201d The actor let us into how his real-life experiences with his son became part of his acting.\n
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