Colin's Secret Confession

He may be about as appealing as a sperm milkshake, but we have to applaud Colin Farrell for coming forward and speaking publicly about his son with special needs.
Little James Farrell is 4 years old and suffers from a rare form of cerebral palsy called Angelman Syndrome*.

Despite the heartbreak the syndrome has caused he said that he is “incredibly blessed to have him in my life” and told of his joy when James recently took his first steps.
He said that his son had shown “amazing courage” in the first four years of his life and that he is an “incredibly happy boy” despite his condition.
Colin – who has starred in such movies as Miami Vice and Phone Booth – said that James has “enriched” his life “incredibly.”
And he said that he is dedicated to helping his son reach his own “individual potential” and to be “as happy as he can be.”
├óΓé¼┬¥With my son the only time I’m reminded that there is something different about him ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ is when I see him with other four-year-olds.
├óΓé¼┼ôThen I go ├óΓé¼┼ôoh yeah├óΓé¼┬¥ and it comes back to me. But from day one I felt that he’s the way he’s meant to be.├óΓé¼┬¥
The actor spoke with pride about the barriers his son has overcome in the first four years of his life – and paid tribute to his exgirlfriend Kim for being proactive in getting James the early intervention he needs.
“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.”
├óΓé¼┼ôAnd when he took the first steps it was incredibly emotional, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.├óΓé¼┬¥
He’s broken that barrier and its all about building on that now.
├óΓé¼┼ôI have never thought of my son as being someone with a disability. It goes back to special needs and what is a disability and what isn’t├óΓé¼┬¥.

*Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare neuro-genetic disorder named after a British paediatrician, Dr. Harry Angelman, who first described the syndrome in 1965.[1] A syndrome is a collection of features which occur together as a group and indicate a particular condition. AS is characterised by intellectual and developmental delay, speech impediment, sleep disturbance, unstable jerky gait, seizures, hand flapping movements, frequent laughter/smiling and usually a happy demeanour.
[Image by Zibi via WENN.]