Colin Farrell Just Explained The Poignant Reason Why He Wants To Put His Son With Angelman Syndrome In A Care Facility

Angelman syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes intellectual and developmental delay, and James was diagnosed at 4 years old. 

Last year, Colin decided to offer a glimpse of their life to the public in a bid to raise awareness for his new venture, the Colin Farrell Foundation. Speaking to People, Colin explained that in the United States, the cut-off age for the support systems provided for families with children who have additional needs is 21 — which is what inspired him to launch the foundation, which provides support for adults who have intellectual difficulties. 

“It’s a terrifying thought that I’d miss the last 40 years of 50 years of his life because I won’t be there to shepherd and to protect,” Colin said of the stark likelihood that James will outlive him and Kim. He added that his hope for James would be “a life of connection” and that once his parents are gone, James will “be somewhere he feels like he belongs, where he feels safe.”

In fact, Colin noted that he has an intense fear over what the future holds for his son as he admitted that even as a wealthy Hollywood actor, he still struggles to find the help that James needs. He shared: “My fear would be, God forbid, if and when something happens to James’s mother or me, James would be 30 or 40, and then he’d have to go in somewhere. Into some kind of institute or some kind of residential care at 30 or 40, and there’d be nobody there to call over, and take him out, and have lunch and all that.”

“I want the world to be kind to James,” he concluded at the time. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”