Kasey to the Rescue

January 10, 2011
When her 22-year-old son Ned was seriously injured in a 2005 car accident, Rogers's well-organized life changed forever. Ned suffered spinal cord injury, major brain trauma, and organ damage, and doctors didn't expect him to live. Rogers refuses to give up, her stubborn resolve eventually turning into hope upon learning of Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. Ned is put on the waiting list for a year, and regains his ability to speak and eat solid food, though severe nerve pain hampers his recovery. Finally he meets Kasey, a capuchin monkey. Rogers's younger daughters see Kasey as a pet, and Rogers envisions "an elaborate Golden Monkey Myth" in which Kasey answers all their prayers. When Kasey moves in for "Monkey Boot Camp," he proves a lively newcomer, upsetting the delicate hierarchy of the home, and Rogers learns more about the proper care, feeding, and bathing of monkeys than she ever imagined. Ned builds a bond with Kasey, the monkey slowly helping him to regain confidence and some physical abilities. Although Rogers's pace slows in spots and she doesn't always avoid cliché, her story is engaging and poignant.