Anna Faris opens up about her son’s health issues

Anna Faris is opening up about a painful subject.

The “Mom” star shares a son named Jack with actor Chris Pratt. Jack is now five years old and seems extremely happy. But, life wasn’t always easy for this little boy. He was born two months early, and Faris is being extremely candid about the health issues surrounding her son’s premature birth.

The actress had Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney on a podcast she hosts. Kimmel and his wife have been extremely open about the heart surgeries their son has needed since being born, so Faris clearly felt this was the perfect time to share stories about her son’s struggles as well.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2016, one in 10 babies was born too early, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.

“My son was born prematurely, and we had all of these health scares,” Faris said during the show. “When Jack was born two months early, of course, it came as a complete shock. How your world completely shifts and how the doctors and nurses helped us and surrounded us … it inspired Chris and I and my parents to all get involved with [GAPPS].”

The actress was referring to an organization called the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth. She’s actually joined with the group to offer a special prize. One winner will get to hang out with Faris and be on her podcast.

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She advertised the contest on Instagram, writing, “$10 for a chance to enter and every dollar goes towards an amazing cause!”

In the case of her son, she said, “Jack had a few surgeries. He had a few hernia surgeries, he’s had a few eye surgeries and he had a little heart issue as well.”

But, she understands that this is something many parents deal with, and that’s why she’s working to help any way she can to make it easier for families. And that’s definitely something Kimmel and his wife are on-board with, too. When their son Billy was born, Kimmel took the opportunity to ask for better healthcare in America so that parents would be able to get their children the medical attention they deserve.

“No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life. It just shouldn’t happen,” Kimmel said in an emotional address to an audience.

Thankfully, both Billy and Jack seem to be thriving these days. Here’s Billy with his happy family ringing in 2018.

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And here’s Jack—ready to thank you for supporting GAPPS.

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How adorable are they?

If you’d like to support GAPPS (and potentially win a chance to meet Faris in person!), you can do so by paying its website a visit.