Sylvester Stallone Says Daughter Is His ‘Joy’ Years After Staying With Her During Risky Heart Surgery

• Hollywood action movie legend Sylvester Stallone shared a touching tribute to one of his daughters on her 27th birthday.
• Mere months after Sophia Stallone was born, she had to undergo heart surgery to fix a “terrible hole in her heart,” which devastated the movie star.
• Nowadays, the father and daughter have a special bond and share a remarkable resemblance.

More than being known for his iconic acting skills in Hollywood action blockbusters, Sylvester Stallone, 77, is also a doting father. Of all his children, he shares three daughters, Sistine, Scarlet, and Sophia Stallone, with his beloved wife of over 20 years, Jennifer Flavin, 55.

Recently, the “Rambo” star’s eldest daughter, Sophia, celebrated her 27th birthday. Her doting dad shared some touching words along with a beautiful photo of Sophia in his birthday tribute to her on Instagram, to which she responded with thanks and told him that she loves him.

In his dedication, Sylvester calls Sophia incredible and gushes about how much “joy” she brings to their family. Of his three daughters, he reportedly shares the closest bond with his “very special” girl, Sophia. As attested to by her loving mom, Flavin:

“…Sly is crazy about Sophia, he would cut himself in two for her, she’s the great love of his life!”

Flavin also divulged more about the striking resemblance between the two, not just in terms of appearance but mannerisms and hobbies too. The mama bear confirmed that Sophia and her dad think, move, and behave the same way. Like the movie star, Sophia is well-versed in Shakespeare and enjoys cultivating her interests.

When Sophia was born on August 27, 1996, her loving dad was so enthralled with her that he described her arrival as a sense of renewal for him, and he immediately sprung into daddy mode. As reported by a family member, during the first night Sophia was born, Sylvester stayed up all night carrying her around.

The birth of Sophia essentially had a positively profound impact on the relationship between her parents, who were not married yet but engaged. Before her arrival, they had faced some ups and downs.

In fact, two years before they welcomed Sophia, they were broken up. However, a year after her birth, the couple wed in a private ceremony in London.

In the same year that Sophia was born, she had to undergo heart surgery. She had to have the surgery done to close a hole in her heart.

Thankfully, the surgery went well, and Sophia, who was only an infant then, recovered while spending a few nights at UCLA Medical Center. A statement made by her dad disclosed:

“I have been staying at the hospital with Jennifer every night. I have been blessed with two miracles within the past nine weeks—that of my daughter being born and that of my daughter being reborn.”

The “Rocky” star was so grateful for the success of Sophia’s surgery that he followed through on a promise he made previously to donate funds to other children battling heart ailments. He ended up donating $200,000 to The Heart of the Child Foundation and made the donation in Sophia’s name:

“…my daughter was diagnosed with a terrible hole in her heart. And through the brilliance of science and extraordinary talent by the doctor, Dr. Laks, she is fine, healthy, today.”

Unfortunately, Sophia’s first heart surgery as an infant would not be her last. In 2012, Sophia had to undergo another operation on her heart.

This one particularly devastated her father as the open-heart procedure was deemed risky. Fortunately, Sophia had another successful life-saving surgery and recovered, and her dad called her doctors and health practitioners his heroes.

Sylvester remains blessed to continue celebrating his beloved eldest daughter’s milestones, the most recent being her 27th birthday.