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Rex by: Cathleen Lewis
“A mother, her autistic child, and the music that transformed their lives,” were the first words I read when I received this book on Christmas Eve. The powerful words on the book cover convey their meaning throughout this epic biography. This very emotional biography is about a mother's unconditional love for her blind, autistic, musically gifted child, Rex, and the struggles of raising him as a single parent. With her strong faith in God, she helps Rex overcome the challenges of being disabled and helps him connect to the world through his musical talent.
The story starts out with Rex's mother, Cathleen Lewis, as a very happy pregnant woman. Her happiness, unfortunately, takes a downward spiral when her doctor calls her with some very upsetting news about her recent ultrasound. The ultrasound showed there was a mysterious mass on her baby's head. Frantically, the doctor scheduled invasive brain surgery to save the baby's life. That's when Rex was born into the world. For the first eight weeks of his life, Rex was recovering from brain surgery. The mass was safely removed and his life was saved; however, Rex's life was continuing to go down hill. Rex was six months old when his mother found out that he was permanently blind.
Cathleen Lewis and her son soon started attending the Blind Children's Center to help “normalize” Rex in the sighted world. By the time Rex's first birthday came around, his motor skills had grown, showing promise of being “normal”. He was walking and had a very big appetite. His mother even started accepting the fact that her son had a disability. Unfortunately, life is full of surprises, some surprises with not so happy endings. Rex's appetite had decreased, and soon Rex became over sensitive to noise and touch. Shortly after, Rex was diagnosed as autistic.
Rex's mother was isolating herself from the world. Her son was severely disabled, and her husband had left her. She had lost all hope. It wasn't until Rex's second birthday when she first noticed a glimpse of God's love. Rex's father had given Rex a piano keyboard to play on. This autistic boy, who was very sensitive to touch and sound, curiously started playing notes on the keyboard, which eventually transformed into songs. This little piano keyboard would be more than just a musical instrument. It would be the key to opening the door of Rex's life, which would transform him into the musical savant he is today. Her son's piano prodigy skills would bring Cathleen Lewis to believe in God and to establish an indescribable faith in him.
This biography about a musically, severely disabled child named Rex is inspiring to all. Cathleen Lewis's love and tremendous leaps of faith makes this an exceptional autobiography that shows that true love has no boundaries. Throughout this emotional-filled story, readers will realize that with the power of God on your side, anything is possible.
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