What About the Boy?: A Fathers Pledge to His Disabled Son: (A true story about relationships and hea

About The Boy A Fathers Pledge To His Disabled. Son A True Story About Relationships And Health. Within A Family Helping Their Developmentally. Disabled.
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Forrest told ABC News: She had his face covered up and hospital authorities wouldn't let me see him or my wife. When the doctor came out, he said, 'There's a real problem with your son. After being told Leo had Down's syndrome, Forrest said: I looked at this guy and I said, 'He's beautiful - he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him'.

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The dad who can only save one of his twins. These brothers have recreated photos from their childhood. He is a writer and describes it much better. But it is the most interesting aspect of the book.

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The philosophy of L'Arch and its founder, Jean Vanier centers around creation of a community rather than institutional care-taking. But what has the most profound effect on the writer of the book is to discover that the questions asked by the residents they are not called patients upon meeting someone new is, "Do you like me? Will you be my friend? May 13, Corri rated it it was amazing.

I considered giving this book a lower rating, then realized that I wasn't seeing the forest for the trees. Every special needs child and family has a unique journey. Different family circumstances, different limitations and I considered giving this book a lower rating, then realized that I wasn't seeing the forest for the trees.

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Different family circumstances, different limitations and needs, and different sets of resources make each path individual. But all families must ask, at least on some level, the same questions: What value does my child's life have? I am enough for this child? Where do we fit in this society that seems ill-equipped to accept and nuture both family and child?

Does my child's suffering have meaning? Brown explores all of these questions and more. His answers were not always the same as mine, or didn't satisfy my unanswered ones, but his approach and analysis were similar enough that I felt a kinship with him on his journey. His writing is not linear and is much like the lives of our children. While it seems haphazard, there is a flow that is hard to describe yet it gives in form and structure.

I found comfort in the chaos. For obvious reasons, I can't be objective about this book. I hope that his wife writes one someday, too, because so many of her thoughts and feelings are conveyed in this book and would be interesting on their own. May 31, Nina rated it really liked it. During my reading of this quite excellent book, I kept asking my physician husband if he'd ever heard of CFC syndrome, Costello syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and other genetic disorders that are discussed in the book.

He had never heard of it. These disorders are that rare--a one in a million misfire of one genetic footprint.


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I have a lot of respect for the author, Ian Brown, even though I usually feel people who write books like this are capitalizing on their situation in some way. I think his moti During my reading of this quite excellent book, I kept asking my physician husband if he'd ever heard of CFC syndrome, Costello syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and other genetic disorders that are discussed in the book.

I think his motive was altruistic: Brown and his wife, after having a normal daughter, find themselves with a severely disabled son: Walker, born with CFC syndrome, severely delayed, self destructive, barely sleeps, screams, hits his head--a nightmare. The parents are to be commended for their love and early intervention with their boy, Walker, but eventually must find a group home for him to live in.

Interesting info about the Canadian health system, which seems antiquated. Brown delves deeply into the questions of genetic disorders, and also the treatment of disabled people by various countries. I thought the story was well written and well integrated--it made for a very good read. I highly recommend it. Parenting, especially parenting well, is the hardest task imaginable; but I've wondered often how parents of disabled children manage the pain, the heartache, the endless work. Walker already knows how to do that.

He is pure being. He may be developmentally delayed or moderately retarded, but in that way, he's already miles ahead of most of us. Bug Walker had also made our lives hell. It's an incredibly touching work that centres around how much a life — and especially a severely physically and intellectually disabled life — is worth. When he digress to talking about other parents and children the book looses moment, but picks up nearer the end of the book. It is a must read with a small amount of skimming. Jan 05, Laurie Gough rated it it was amazing. When this book first came out I avoided it even though I'd always been a huge fan of Ian Brown's journalism.

I thought it would be just too difficult and heartbreaking a story to read. I felt the same about Wave which I also ended up reading and loving. But then something heart wrenching happened in my own family with my own son and suddenly I wanted to connect with every other parent who'd been through something similar and I've been reading memoirs like this ever since.

The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son by Ian Brown

Our case wasn't near When this book first came out I avoided it even though I'd always been a huge fan of Ian Brown's journalism. Our case wasn't nearly as extreme as Brown's and his wife's.

Cute Couple In Love

When I read The Boy in the Moon I'd just finished writing a book about my son's sudden onset of OCD after his grandfather died, a book I doubt I could have written had my son not completely and miraculously recovered. This is why I found Brown's book so compelling and beautiful. He was able to find joy and solace in his son knowing he would never get better. He discovered, after many years, that his son was his greatest teacher. Sep 05, Ellen Campbell rated it it was amazing.

A beautifully written book by a father searching for meaning, The Boy in the Moon is one of the most lyrical books I have read about the journey to acceptance for a parent of a child with a disability. As a mother of a grown son with an intellectual disability, I know this path and I know this father's urgency as he travels it.

Brown's son Walker has cardiofaciocutaneous CFC syndrome, a condition so rare that this father literally searches the world over seeking answers to all his questions. I A beautifully written book by a father searching for meaning, The Boy in the Moon is one of the most lyrical books I have read about the journey to acceptance for a parent of a child with a disability. I particularly relished the section on Jean Vanier and the L'Arche movement and communities.

Father turns to crowdfunding site for help raising disabled son rejected by his mother

And ultimately, like any true story, love is the answer and the final redemption for both father and son. I see this as an important book in the canon of disability writing. Sep 24, Margaret Depaula rated it it was amazing. I have worked in special education for over 20 years and I have had the pleasure to meet and work with many wonderful children.

Some of them were born with very rare syndromes but I had never heard of or worked with a child that was diagnosed with CFC, a syndrome so rare that there are only about living in the entire world. This book is the moving, honest and tender story about a boy named Walker, written by his father Ian brown.

I ordered it from the Library and got it a few days ago, I finished it today and would recommend this book to everyone, but especially my friends that work in special education. Dec 25, Kat Taylor rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Parents with special needs children. As a mother of a little girl with CFC I wanted to read this book and get another parents perspective on how they deal with the daily struggles of a CFC child. It's a good book and it help me realize that I am not alone with the doubts, fears and frustrations that I have, although, we do have very different views on some issues.

Videos About This Book. A Canadian journalist and author.

The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son

He has also worked as a business writer at Maclean's and the Financial Post, a feature reporter for The Globe and Mail, and a freelance journalist for other magazines including Satu A Canadian journalist and author. UK post mortem fails to find cause of death for British How do you stop a baby crying? Sean Penn criticizes MeToo Is your child in the clutches of a 'county line' gang?

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