Colin Farrell Offers Advice to Parents Navigating Their Child's New Diagnosis
Earlier this month, Colin Farrell attended the annual summit and gala for Angelman syndrome research in Chicago and shared some advice other parents of children with disabilities might appreciate. His wisdom comes from his own experience as a parent. Farrell’s son, James, 14, has Angelman syndrome.
In an interview with TODAY, Farrell said, “I would humbly say to parents of a child with a recent diagnosis of any disorder that while they may well be experiencing the death of one dream, that dream of having a healthy child, there are a thousand dreams and milestones that are yet to reveal themselves.”
Farrell also encouraged parents to reach out and find support. “Only you will ever know truly what it is to feel what you feel, but you will recognize yourself in the struggles and triumphs of others when you hear their stories,” the actor added.
As the father of a child with a disability he reminded other parents like him, “You are not alone.”
This isn’t the first time Farrell spoke about his son or his experience as the parent of a child with a disability. In March, he spoke at Gatepath’s “The Power of Possibilities” event.
“Be careful of judging what your child is capable of,” he said. “You have to watch your child and give him every opportunity to see how they respond. Let your child decide what his limitations are.”
Image via Paula Evans at the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics Gala.
Image via Wikimedia Commons/David Shankbone
Ellen Stumbo is the founder of Disability Matters, an organization with the mission to encourage every church to embrace disability. Ellen is a national speaker who focuses on issues pertaining adoption, faith, disability and parenting kids with disabilities. Ellen writes for several online platforms including Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia, Group, The Mighty and the Huffington Post. Her writing also appears in several book anthologies. Ellen blogs at ellenstumbo.com and you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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