Martin Sheen couldn’t be prouder of his son!
As we previously reported, Charlie Sheen sat down with Matt Lauer on Tuesday to confirm to the world that he is HIV-positive.
Though the Hollywood veteran was aware of his son’s diagnosis for sometime, he had his doubts about whether or not the Two and a Half Men alum would make the brave decision and share his private medical history with the public.
Related: The Latest On Charlie’s HIV Confession
At the CME Group‘s 8th Global Financial Leadership Conference, The West Wing actor explained:
“He had been leading up to this sort of story for several months, and we kept encouraging him to do it. He kept backing away and backing away because it was like going to his own execution, I guess. It was the most difficult thing he’d ever done. And he kind of sealed it when he called Matt Lauer last week and asked if he could go on.”
Wow! We can only imagine the stress the controversial celeb must’ve been under when making that difficult decision.
The Golden Globe winner continued:
“We didn’t know until he walked on the set this morning that he was going to do it. I saw him Saturday night, my wife and I went to see him, to make sure he knew we were behind him, and if he wanted me to go, I would have canceled this event. He said, no, this was his and his alone.”
We’re so glad to hear that Charlie has such an incredible support system behind him — especially since there is a good chance the A-Lister will face several lawsuits over his positive status.
Still, it seems that Denise Richards‘ ex’s bravery has even floored his poppa.
The 75-year-old noted:
“This morning, as I watched him alone, reveal his deepest, darkest secret, I couldn’t believe the level of courage I was witnessing, and that it was my son. I left him a message, and I said that if I had that much courage, I would change the world.”
Tissues, anyone??
It appears that Martin’s main goal is to remain an advocate for his son as he urged fans to have empathy regarding Charlie’s condition.
He relayed:
“As a father, I dare say that if I were to ask, just a general question in this room, how many of you have children or spouses or nieces, nephews, uncles, clients, who are dealing with drugs or alcohol. I dare say that there isn’t a person in here that wouldn’t raise their hand. When someone comes to themself, they have the moment of clarity, and they reveal their secrets├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥which all of us have├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥in public, it is a great sense of relief. It is a miraculous occasion.
I just want to encourage all of you that have children, spouses, aunts, uncles, clients, that are involved in any form of addiction to realize that it’s a disease and if it they had cancer, you wouldn’t think of them any differently. But most importantly, people, and I speak from my own personal experience, most people who become addicted are looking for a transcendent experience. They are looking for one, the other, God, whatever it is, and naturally they shortcut the journey because, the apparition.”
What a beautiful display of familial love!
We’re thinking about the entire Sheen family during this particularly trying time.
[Image via Ray Garbo/WENN.]
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