Chris Pratt Gives Heartfelt Speech About Premature Son
Actor spoke at March of Dimes event Friday.
— -- Chris Pratt gave a moving speech about his son at Friday's March of Dimes Celebration of Babies.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star recalled his son Jack's premature birth, nine weeks early in August 2012, when he weighed just 3 pounds, 12 ounces.
"That's a decent-sized bass," Pratt joked, comparing his son's size to a fish's at the star-studded event at Los Angeles' Beverly Wilshire Hotel, according to E! News. "Very small for a human."
Pratt described what it was like becoming a father.
"I've done all kinds of cool things as an actor: I've jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy," the 35-year-old actor, who's been married to Jack's mom, actress Anna Faris, 38, since July 2009, told the crowd.
He also recounted Jack's early days in the NICU.
"I made promises in that moment about what kind of dad I wanted to be and I just prayed that he'd live long enough that I could keep them," he said, according to E!
Pratt said he and Faris were told that their son might have special needs and would need cosmetic surgery to correct his eyes.
After about a month in the NICU, they took Jack home.
"Our Jack went from a small, helpless little squirt to a strong, smart, happy, funny, beautiful boy who loves monster trucks and Daniel Tiger, and, believe it or not, loves vegetables. Broccoli and cherry tomatoes are his favorite foods," the actor told the crowd.
"None of what we went through would be as easy even 10 years ago," the actor said, adding that life or death hangs in the balance of the NICU.
But fortunately, it's a balance "that's tipping towards life by cutting-edge medicines, much of which is a direct result of this wonderful organization, the March of Dimes."
Pratt has spoken openly about his son before. In July, he told People that Jack's story "restored his faith in God."
“It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it,” the actor said. “The baby was so beautiful to us, and I look back at the photos of him and it must have been jarring for other people to come in and see him, but to us he was so beautiful and perfect.”
