While we believe in the illusion that celebrities have flawless lives, we sometimes forget that they are just humans, like the rest of us.
Being famous doesn’t mean not struggling and not facing issues. However, when these people who we adore so much open up about their hardships, they help raise awareness and break the stigma around difficult topics.
Recently, actor Colin Farrell spoke of the “tricky” decision to place his 21-year-old son in a care facility.
The Oscar-nominated star opened up about his son’s diagnosis in the past and explained that James, whom he welcomed with ex-partner Kim Bordenave, has Angelman syndrome. It is a syndrome that affects the nervous system and causes developmental delays, among the rest.
While it doesn’t affect the life expectancy, people diagnosed with Angelman syndrome “will need support throughout their life,” NHS states.
Speaking to Candis Magazine, Farrell, 48, said of the decision to put James into a facility, “It’s tricky – some parents will say, ‘I want to take care of my child myself’, and I respect that.”
He added: “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?”
The actor added that in case of such a scenario, his son would become “a ward of the state.”
“We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected,” Farrell said.
Speaking of James in 2008, the actor described him as “nothing but a gift.”
“He’s, as far as I’m concerned, exactly the way he should be.”
In his son’s honor, the Penguin star launched the Colin Farrell Foundation last year. It’s goal is to support children with intellectual disabilities.
He told People at the time: “Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own. All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes away, so you’re left with a young adult who should be an integrated part of our modern society and more often than not is left behind.
“I want the world to be kind to James. I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”
Colin Farrell added that his son has worked so hard all his life.
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