Since his birth two short years ago, Bo has a built track record of defeating the odds.
When he was born, doctors told his mother he had Down Syndrome and heart problems.
He was forced to undergo surgery at a young age and spent three long months recovering in the hospital in an induced coma because of complications. Bo’s mother noted the busy atmosphere of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). “All you hear is the monitors and the rhythm with the beeping,” she said.
Seeing as she and her husband Caleb are both musicians, they wondered if music could help him.
“After weeks and weeks (which ended up in months) of being in the hospital in a silent room of the CICU, we got special permission to bring a guitar in and sing to him in hopes that it would comfort him.”
Amanda and Caleb chose “You are My Sunshine” as Bo’s signature song, playing it in the hospital to help him pass the time. That’s when they noticed something unexpected.
“He started to move and that was the first time I saw him react when we would sing,” Amanda said.
“It blew us away.”
Bo’s sister Lydia has played guitar since the age of four.
When she saw how much her brother resonated with the song, she figured she should learn it, as well.
For months, Lydia practiced playing “You are my Sunshine,” with Bo accompanying her with his happy-go-lucky dance. Then, one day, the little boy said a word.
“I was just playing and he interrupted me, and I was like ‘Oh my gosh!” Lydia told Fox13 News.
“I screamed, ‘Mom! He just said ‘happy!'”
Because of the boy’s Down syndrome, doctors had told Amanda that Bo likely wouldn’t speak for another 2 to 3 years.
So, when Lydia told Amanda Bo said a word, she initially didn’t believe her. She made Lydia sing the song again, and sure enough, Bo chimed in.
Amanda immediately grabbed her phone to record the amazing moment. She later uploaded the video to Facebook, where it has since gone viral.
Because of the anatomical differences associated with Down syndrome (such as skull shape, jaw, palate, tongue size relative to mouth, etc), along with other challenges, children with Down syndrome often have difficulties developing clear speech. However, music therapy is thought to be a great way of helping them— as Bo’s story beautifully demonstrates.
“Music therapy can be an effective modality for children with Down syndrome to develop speech and language skills,” The Music Therapy Center of California explains.
“Specific songs can assist and target oral motor skills to exercise face and tongue muscles and can also help with sounds of speech.
Since singing with Lydia, Bo has learned more than a dozen words— and at a much younger age than doctors had predicted.
“We are teaching him ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’, so he can learn his name,” Amanda said afterward, in an interview with Fox13 News.
“We feel like he’s defying the odds thanks to Lydia and her determination.”
Bo is lucky to have such a devoted big sister help him overcome all of his obstacles. It takes a lot of skill and practice and not everyone can be so patient. Seeing the way Bo lights up and is entranced by Lydia’s conveys a simple beauty that is needed in this world. There’s no telling what the future has in store for these siblings, but I have a feeling their bond will conquer it all.
See the heartwarming video below!
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