Colin Farrell recalls heartbreaking question he asked doctor after son’s special needs diagnosis

Colin Farrell is opening up about his son’s rare neurogenetic disorder. The 48-year-old recalled the moment James was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome when he was just 2 1/2 years old.“One of the characteristics of Angelman syndrome is outbreaks of laughter,” the Irish actor told People in an interview published on Thursday. “And the doctor saw that James was laughing a lot and doing this movement [he waves his hands].”The tests came back positive for Angelman, to which the doctor told Farrell, “At least we had a diagnosis.”“I remember the first two questions I asked were, ‘What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?’” the “Sugar” star continued. “And the doctor said, ‘Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.'”Although there is no pain involved, Angelman causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance and mental disability, according to the Mayo Clinic.It can also cause seizures, which is “one of the things that parents struggle with greatly,” explained Farrell. “Thankfully, James hasn’t had a breakthrough seizure now in about 10 or 11 years, but I’ve been in the back of ambulances, I’ve been in the hospital with him,” he shared with the outlet. “I’ve done Diastat [a sedative] up his rectum to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes.

Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have adverse effects — that’s all very tricky business.”Farrell, also a father to his son Henry, 15, with ex Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, noted that he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with his firstborn.“James was a very silent baby,” he recounted. “And I just thought I’d hit the lottery, and he was chill — and he’s anything but.