Customer Reviews
A book for all parents of a child with Cerebral Palsy 
2008-09-01
The case of Jimmy is not so rare. As a 41 year old man with CP, my story is not very different than Marie Kennedy's son. I also walked with canes, attended public schools, and have no speech impairments. I now live alone with only the aid of personal care assistants, although I don't need any help with toileting, just showering. I do believe Jimmy's story should be read by all parents of children with CP. Because although her son's case might not be typical, whatever that means, it can provide the motivation to "never give up" which is extremely important. For you see, if my parents had listened to the advice of their doctor, I would now be living in an institution. He said I would be better off if they didn't try to raise me at home. I not only graduated from high school with my class, I also went to college and earned an Associates Degree in Business. There is nothing more powerful than a parent's love.
Charming but ultimately a bit deceiving 
2008-07-09
Marie Kennedy's short biography of her son's toddler years and experience with CP is entertaining and charming but parents of young children with Cerebral Palsy may find themselves depressed by it. I know my husband and I did. Why? Her son, Jimmy, has CP, but just a few short weeks after beginning physical therapy begins walking with the aid of braces, gait trainer, etc. He continues to make similar magnificent gains. In fact, the picture of him on the front of the book using crutches is actually quite deceptive as the time he spent with crutches was I think less than six months. By the end of this very short bio, Jimmy at the age of five is walking, is fully toilet trained, is attending regular school, and has no speech impairments whatever. As the mother of a child whose gains in physical therapy are measured in time spans of years, who may never walk, and who is virtually non-verbal, I applaud Jimmy's and Marie's achievements, but I don't find Jimmy to be a typical toddler or infant with CP. Although there is certainly nothing wrong with many of Marie's "tips" and her book is charming and entertaining, I think many CP moms may find her book a bit depressing. I would avoid this book if your child has more than a mild case of CP.
A good read 2008-04-29
Overall this book was a good read. My son is 9 months old and was recently diagnosed with CP. I'm the type of person that wants to know all of the information I can, read all the books that I can, explore whatever website I can find - to do what I can to help my son. This book was a good book about the strength a mother found to do what she could for her son. The overview for this book was a little misleading - it said there were "helpful hints" on things to do to help with the CP. I guess this was what I was looking for - a book of different things that helped a mother help her son work through CP... So I gave the product a 3 star because it didn't really get into many helpful hints.
Inspiring 
2005-09-21
This book is very inspiring. I can identify with many of the same emotions. The only reason I dodn't give it 5 stars is that it is short, without longterm information on her child. I was left wondering "How's he doing now?" I think parents of CP kids always wonder how they are going to be when they "grow up." And this book ends when the child is still very young.
This book will benefit all who read it! 2005-01-05
Methinks you'll enjoy MY PERFECT SON by Marie Kenndy.
This is a moving tale of Jimmy and his loving parents . . . as Marie recounts, "After a few nights, I realized that it [wearing night shoes] was bothering me more than him. I had to quit being selfish and thinking of the things he couldn't do and start concentrating on the things he could do."
And what Jimmy could do is just about everything . . . he is now 10, and part of what made this book so special for me was that I could almost watch him grow before my eyes as a result of the many wonderful pictures that were included.
Kenney presents much useful advice for parents of any child . . . for example, she says, "When buying toys or gifts, consider how your child can and should move. It can be disappointing to receive a gift and not be able to use it. Our family consults us on birthdays and Christmas before
making purchases, which helps to avoid this problem."
I strongly recommend this book to any parent or grandparent, as well as to anybody else who works with children . . . you'll not only learn more about cerebral palsy, you'll also learn about life
and how it can be lived to the fullest--regardless of health.
Marie's "Can Do" attitude. 2003-08-06
Marie has taken a problem and turned it into a triumph! She is very candid about her feelings, and is able to give hope to others dealing with any kind of disabilities. I enjoyed reading all of the practical advice that Marie shares, and felt as though I knew the whole family when I finished reading the book. Jimmy is destined to have a good life with the support he receives from the entire family.
touching, thoughtful and enlightening 2003-04-02
I share the thoughts of the previous reviewers regarding this beautiful book regarding a remarkable boy and his parents. I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless whether their immediate family has been touched by CP or not. The book appears to be written in a simple style to make it easy for the reader to get the most out of it in the least amount of time. I am CEO of a multi-county social services organization and my staff and I loved this book....
A Book to Remember 2001-07-11
I just could not put this book down--this has become almost a cliché, but in this instance it could not be more accurate. My feelings ran amuck in me as I shared the author's sadness, joy, expectations, release, all of it. Further, while giving specificf information for other parents who find themselves in the same situation, this is a book of general interest. And that's a mignty difficult, if often impossible, thing to do. My congratulations to Marie Kennedy, and my thanks to her for sharing this story with us.
A Book to Remember 2001-07-11
I just could not put this book down--this has become almost a cliché, but in this instance it could not be more accurate. My feelings ran amuck in me as I shared the author's sadness, joy, expectations, release, all of it. Further, while giving specificf information for other parents who find themselves in the same situation, this is a book of general interest. And that's a mignty difficult, if often impossible, thing to do. My congratulations to Marie Kennedy, and my thanks to her for sharing this story with us.
A Book to Remember 2001-07-11
I just could not put this book down--a comment that's become almost a cliché but is so absolutely true in this instance. My feelings, on reading this book, just about ran amuck--sharing sadness, joy, expectation, release. I particularly love the way the author, while giving information for other parents finding themselves in the same position, has written a book of general interest. And that's mighty difficult, in most instances impossible, to do. My congratulations and thanks to Marie Kennedy!
