“I Could Only Stand for 45 Seconds” How Despite His Cancer, Jeff Bridges Held On to Life and Gave His All to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle

The journey that 72-year-old actor Jeff Bridges had to go through in the past few years proves that there is a bright side, even behind the most challenging hardships. And this actor, who gathered all his courage and strength to hold on to life, reminds us that our love for our family can be all the motivation we need to conquer anything that life throws our way.

He’s a devoted family man.

Jeff Bridges met Susan in 1975 while he was filming a movie in North Dakota, and the couple tied the knot 2 years later. 26-year-old Jeff was smitten from the very first moment he laid eyes on her. He confessed, “I knew I was madly in love with my wife the minute I saw her.”

And even though the couple has already been together for an impressive 45 years, it seems that the romantic spark in their relationship has not faded one bit. In fact, speaking of their romance, the actor revealed, “We don’t have to do much. Just being in the same vicinity feels wonderful.”

The enamored couple first became parents to a daughter named Isabelle in 1981. 2 years later, they welcomed a second daughter, Jessica, and 2 years later as well, a third daughter, Hayley came to expand the happy family. And even though Jeff and his 3 daughters are super close, none of them chose to follow in the career footsteps of their dad or their grandad, who was also a prolific actor.

Holding on to life

One morning, when Jeff was exercising at home, he felt something unusual in his stomach. Later, doctors found a cancerous tumor, and he had to start chemotherapy right away.

In January 2021, his health took a turn for the worse when the actor contracted another infectious disease which he says made cancer seem ’’like a piece of cake.’’

Bridges had to spend 5 very challenging months in the hospital, where he says, "I was pretty close to dying. [...] I was in surrender mode.’’ But luckily, Jeff didn’t give up and ended up gathering every single drop of courage he had in him, in order to fight back and hold on to life. The star explained, "I started taking baby steps. Each day brought more strength and more hope.’’

And his efforts weren’t in vain. In September 2021, Bridges announced that he was in remission, and a few months later, he updated his fans saying that he felt “terrific.”

He is now grateful for his blessings more than ever before.

Speaking of the health struggles he had to face, Bridges says, ’’I went through a year and a half of this bizarre dream and then came back." Looking at the bright side, he admitted that this challenging experience made all the positive sides of his life come out. He explained, ’’So often things are right under our nose that we don’t appreciate."

And for the actor, one of the pillars in his life that was essential for his healing was the presence of his wife, 3 daughters, and 3 grandchildren. He noted, “I’m being conscious of stuff that’s just right in front of me, like love and my family and all of the stuff that’s available for me.” The actor added, “I’m just really loving this obvious thing that we live with all the time and take for granted.”

Walking his daughter down the aisle

Given how close he is to his family, the actor was determined to walk his youngest daughter Hayley down the aisle in August 2021, despite his fragile state due to recovery. He noted, “The first goal was how long I could stand up.” In fact, the actor explained that he could only stand up for 45 seconds, so he had to work out every day with a trainer in order to get in better shape so that he could stand by his daughter on her big day.

And the doting dad’s efforts paid off because he was not only able to walk her down the aisle, but he also eventually “got to do the wedding dance.”

Do you agree that family is our biggest motivation when we are facing life’s hardships?