Colin Farrell remembers the first question he asked the doctor when he learned that his son was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome.
Hollywood star Colin Farrell (48) remembers the moment he learned of the diagnosis of Angelman syndrome in his first-born son James (20).
At first he had not noticed any symptoms in the child. But when James “did not reach the normal values - he could not sit up. He did not crawl – cerebral palsy was wrongly diagnosed.” It was not until he was about two and a half years old that a pediatric neurologist suggested testing him for Angelman syndrome.
Angelman syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder that primarily affects the nervous system and leads to severe physical and mental disabilities. “One of the characteristics of Angelman syndrome is fits of laughter,” says Farrell. “And the doctor saw that James was laughing a lot and making this movement [er winkt mit den Händen].”
Colin Farrell wanted to know two things from the doctor
When Farrell learned of the diagnosis, he had two questions for the doctor: “I remember the first two questions I asked were, ‘What is the life expectancy and how much pain is there?'” the actor said in the interview. The doctor explained: “The life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and me – and pain, no.”
The Irish actor – who had James with his ex-partner, US model Kim Bordenave (52) – also remembers in the interview that James was special. “James was a very quiet baby. I thought I had hit the jackpot and he was very quiet – but he is anything but that,” says Farrell, who is also father to son Henry (15), whom he had with his former partner and “Ondine” colleague Alicja Bachleda-Curuś (41). “If James had been my second child and not my first, I would have known earlier, because when Henry was born and I heard him cooing, I thought: ‘A baby is supposed to coo?'”
Foundation established
Angelman syndrome is a seizure disorder, “and that’s one of the things that parents struggle with a lot,” Farrell adds. “Fortunately, James hasn’t had a seizure in 10 or 11 years, but I’ve been in the ambulance with him, I’ve been in the hospital with him. I’ve given him sedatives in the rectum to bring him down from a seizure that lasted more than three minutes. Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have any adverse effects – that’s all a very difficult thing,” Farrell says.
The actor has now set up the Colin Farrell Foundation. The actor wants to use it to support other affected people. The foundation is intended to help young adults with intellectual disabilities.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
