Faith F
Scott Baio: Faith Made My Family Stronger
Actor reveals how he and his wife coped with medical struggles. BY JAMES HIRSEN
or five decades, scott baio has ridden a wave of fame in TV and movies. His Hollywood journey
began when he landed the title char- acter role in the children’s movie musical Bugsy Malone, which co- starred Jodie Foster. But his career really caught fi re
in 1976. The then-16-year-old actor snagged the coveted role of Fonzie’s cousin Chachi Arcola on the blockbust- er sitcom hit Happy Days. Baio’s television run continued in
the Happy Days spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi, and in yet another successful sitcom, Charles in Charge. The 1990s saw him portraying a doc-
tor in the medical mystery drama series Diagnosis: Murder, as well as a young prosecutor in a classic made-for-TV Perry Mason movie. In 2005 his career came full circle
when he played lawyer Bob Loblaw in the TV series Arrested Development, a role that was passed to him when Henry “Fonzie” Winkler bowed out. From 2012 to 2015, he starred in the
Nickelodeon sitcom See Dad Run. Present times fi nd him touring the country with his one-man show, How
Did I Get Here? But his most challenging role is one
that has been playing out in real life: coping with suff ering being endured by those he loves the most. Recently, Baio took to Twitter to
share additional details of a personal struggle that he and his wife, Renee, have been dealing with for several years. Renee has to undergo a brain tumor
scan every year. This is because after already having dealt with breast cancer a few years back, she then began to suf- fer from painful migraines. Her doctors initially blamed the
headaches on changes in hormone lev- els. But tests sadly revealed that she had three meningiomas. Fortunately, the tumors turned out
not to be malignant. But they are nev- ertheless categorized as “tumors that grow on the outer casing of the brain.” Baio explained that such tumors “can
cause serious problems depending on the size of the tumor and the location.” Like others who have faced similar
circumstances, Baio instinctively knew that he would have to rise to the occa- sion to provide the strength and sup- port his family required. It was faith in God that allowed
both Scott and Renee to deal with the extremely diffi cult situation. On the day they received news of
Renee’s diagnosis, Baio posted on Face- book: “Renee has been down some rough roads in her life, yet each time
56 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2022
TOUGHER ROLE Scott Baio, in red shirt, became a household name in the long- running 1970’s TV hit Happy Days along with stars including Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley and Ron Howard. But his most challenging role has been off camera where he and his wife Renee and daughter Bailey have overcome a series of struggles.
with her strong faith in God, she comes through a better and stronger person. “My wife is my rock. She refuses to
even shed one tear, nor will she ques- tion God’s will. Renee, Bailey and I will get through this . . .” Scott and Renee are fully united in
their faith. “My faith in God is greater than the fear of the unknown,” she said. In speaking openly, the couple hopes
to spread knowledge about the medi- cal condition and provide assistance to those seeking help from a higher power. “God does not challenge weak people
— he has laid this upon me, and I’m not going to question it. If I can save one per- son along the way, I’m OK,” Renee said. Baio shared that the hardest part of
his wife’s diagnosis was trying to fi g- ure out how to break the news to their daughter. Memories of their child’s medical his-
tory were front and center in their minds. In 2007 Bailey was born fi ve weeks
premature. During a screening test, she came up positive for a potentially dead- ly metabolic disorder called glutaric aci- demia type 1 (GA-1). The two thought they were going to
lose her. Blessed news would be on the hori-
zon. Further testing revealed that the initial result had been a false positive. The couple later started the Bailey
Baio Angel Foundation to raise funds and awareness for children with meta- bolic disorders.
BAIO’S FAMILY/ERIC MCCANDLESS VIA GETTY IMAGES / HAPPY DAYS/ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/DISNEY GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT VIA GETTY IMAGES
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