Irish actor and family man sets up The Colin Farrell Foundation charity in son’s honour
COLIN Farrell has fond and vivid memories of being on the pitch at Croke Park for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in 2003.
He proudly led a group of athletes into the stadium as towns and villages across Ireland opened their homes and their hearts to athletes with special needs from all over the world.
“We were at our best,” the Penguin actor recalls now. “The whole country came together. Every pub had a bingo night for a local athlete. Every place was putting on something and members of our society who in the 1950s and 60s were kept at home more – all of a sudden they were the stars of the story. There’s nowhere in the world that I’ve experienced anything like it.”
Colin didn’t know it then, but within a matter of months, he would become the parent of a child with special needs. James was born with Angelman syndrome, a rare condition characterised by developmental delay, problems with speech and balance and, in some cases, seizures.
It means that James’s achievements and the many milestones he has reached have been hard earned and greatly celebrated – and next month, the young man will mark a major birthday.
Colin Farrell gives rare look at life with ‘magic’ son with Angelman syndrome as he launches foundation
Colin Farrell is starting a foundation to honor his son James — and giving a rare glimpse at their life together in the process.
The actor gushed about his “magic” 21-year-old, who has Angelman syndrome, in his People cover story published Wednesday.
“I want the world to be kind to James,” he told the magazine. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”
As photography and video teams scurry about the hillside home in Los Angeles, Farrell, 48, is keeping tabs on his son James, 20, who has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder.
James, who is nonverbal, is sitting in the backyard playing catch with his live-in caregiver. He makes eye contact with a journalist standing nearby and immediately throws the miniature basketball in her direction to include her in his game.
James’ eyes light up when he spots Farrell, but it’s nothing in comparison with the noticeable swell in his dad’s chest when those around them respond so sweetly to his son. “I want the world to be kind to James,” the actor tells PEOPLE. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”