Colin Farrell Talks About Son’s Cerebral Palsy

I had no idea -- it's not like I go around hoping celebrities have disabled kids, but it sort of makes it seem like it can happen to anyone. Thanks to Jacqui for bringing this to my attention!

QUOTED FROM US MAGAZINE

Miami Vice actor Colin Farrell may have earned a reputation as a bad boy in Hollywood, but at home with his four-year-old son James, he is anything but. In a recent interview, Farrell spoke about his son's disability, a rare form of cerebral palsy called Angelman's Syndrome which affects his speech and motor skills, and how James has shown "amazing courage" even as a toddler.

Farrell, who has joint custody of his son with mom Kim Bordenave, recounts a recent milestone in James' life: his first steps. “He took his first steps about six weeks ago and it was four years in the making. All the work is his, he worked his arse off for four years. And when he took the first steps it was incredibly emotional, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.”

And the 31-year-old actor is committed to helping his son have even more such moments, by reaching his "individual potential." He says, "With my son the only time I'm reminded that there is something different about him – that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal – is when I see him with other four-year-olds. Then I go 'oh yeah' and it comes back to me. But from day one I felt that he's the way he's meant to be.”

Fortuitously, Farrell became involved in the Special Olympics prior to James' birth. “It's mad the way the world works. It's bizarre. I experienced the overwhelming effect of being around those athletes pretty much just before my son was born with special needs." For Farrell, both experiences have been enriching. "[I am] incredibly blessed to have him in my life," he says of James.