We didn’t think it was possible to find yet another reason to love Chris Pratt — until the funnyman shared the moving story of his son Jack’s premature birth Friday at a March of Dimes Celebration of Babies event.
Jack was born nine weeks early, weighing just 3 pounds, 12 ounces. In fact, doctors told Pratt and wife, actress Anna Faris, that their baby would need corrective eye surgery, and may have special needs.
“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," Pratt told the A-list crowd at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. While Jack was in the NICU, Pratt said, “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.”
After a month in the NICU, Jack got to go home. And today? The two-year-old is doing just fine. “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,” said Pratt. “Broccoli and cherry tomatoes are his favorite foods.”
He credits advancements in infant health for Jack’s success story. "None of what we went through would be as easy even 10 years ago,” he said, adding that the NICU life-or-death balance is "tipping towards life by cutting-edge medicines, much of which is a direct result of this wonderful organization, the March of Dimes.”
We credit Pratt for sharing his story at the luncheon, which raised over a $1 million to help more babies just like Jack.
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