Colin Farrellin lapsella on Angelman Syndrome

Rohkeasti uskaltaa kertoa vammaisesta lapsestaan:





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. ¿



¿With my son the only time I¿m reminded that there is something different about him ¿ that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal ¿ is when I see him with other four-year-olds.



¿Then I go ¿oh yeah¿ and it comes back to me. But from day one I felt that he¿s the way he¿s meant to be.¿



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.¿



¿And when he took the first steps it was incredibly emotional, there wasn¿t a dry eye in the house.¿



He¿s broken that barrier and its all about building on that now.



¿I 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¿.



Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare neuro-genetic disorder named after a British paediatrician, Dr. Harry Angelman, who first described the syndrome in 1965.



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.