Topics: Celebrity, Health, Colin Farrell, Parenting, Mental Health
Colin Farrell got candid about the reason he wants his son to receive special care for his rare condition at a facility rather at home in the future.
Last year in August, Colin Farrell spoke out for the first time about his son James Padraig Farrell, 21, and the difficulties he faces due to a rare health condition known as Angelman Syndrome.
The condition is a rare genetic disorder that causes intellectual and development delay.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Colin said he wanted the world to be kinder to his son, who he shares with his ex-Kim Bordenave, and get a greater understanding for the condition. He also took issue with the fact that it is still difficult to get the right kind of support and care for his son, as many of these services stop in the US when a person reaches 21.
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and in a new interview speaking to Candis magazine, Farrell explained why he wants his son to be cared for by professionals rather than at home, despite technically being able to do it himself.
He said: “It's tricky, some parents will say: 'I want to take care of my child myself.' And I respect that. But my horror would be... What if I have a heart attack tomorrow, and, God forbid, James' mother, Kim, has a car crash and she's taken too — and then James is on his own. Then he's a ward of the state and he goes where? We'd have no say in it.”
Farrell also spoke about the ultimate goal he and his ex want for James as he gets older.
He continued: “And one thing I can say about James is that he knows when somebody wants to be with him, and he knows when somebody's just supposed to be with him.
“So, if he has a carer or a teacher or somebody who's doing physical therapy with him and they're not fully engaged and fully loving with him, he'll just switch off.”
“What his mother and I want is to find somewhere we like where he can go now, while we're still alive and healthy, that we can go and visit, and we can take him out sometimes.
“We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected. He needs a bigger life than we can afford him, by having a sense of community that he feels connected to, by going out in the van every day and going to the supermarket and doing the shopping together, by going to the beach, museums, movies, all that stuff. Just a connected life.”
