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.

October 1, 2010

Debut author Rogers delivers an impressive memoir about coping with her son's paralysis following a devastating car accident—with the help of an extraordinary monkey.

The author's life was anything but peaceful even before her 22-year-old son Ned's accident. She was a single mother of five with kids aged between 12 and 25 and her own marketing consulting firm. Rogers always considered herself "something of a tragedy snob"—she lost her father, husband and stepdaughter all well before their time. Her family, "a miracle of modern love and high-flying trapeze act of daily logistics," endured much suffering but remained upbeat and faithful. These qualities come through in the author's engaging writing, which resists melodrama in favor of disarming sincerity and humor. Ned's spinal-cord injury brought challenges previously unimaginable. His survival was a miracle and his recovery even more so, shocking the doctors and causing Ned's loyal supporters to cheer at every impossible juncture. His demanding, frustrating journey included blinking to communicate, operating a wheelchair by sipping and puffing into a straw and being turned constantly to avoid infection by bed sores. As Ned regained his ability to breathe, speak and move his hands, his family learned of an organization called Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. Helping Hands places capuchin monkeys with paralyzed individuals to help them with everyday tasks and to provide companionship. Ned and his family were thrilled at the idea but had to wait the requisite year to prove that Ned was sufficiently acclimated to home life to incorporate an animal into his routine. Upon her arrival, Kasey the helper monkey took the house by storm with her cuteness, charm, intellect and diva nature. The practical help and emotional lift she brought to Ned was lifesaving. With her as a sidekick, he was able to pursue his dream of motivational speaking. Rogers does not gloss over the incredible amount of patience and work required to care for and train a capuchin, and the memoir is stronger for it.

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October 15, 2010
In this inspirational memoir, supermom Rogers tells the story of her son, Ned, a University of Arizona senior who drives his car into a brick wall and sustains a severe spinal cord injury. Halfway through the book, Kasey arrives. A trained capuchin who loves unclasping jewelry and hates getting baths, Kasey is spunky and adorable but hardly the star of the show. The title should read Ellen to the Rescue, because the tale is much more about the mom than the monkey. She moves mountains for her son, even if she can seem obnoxious. For example, she uses her cell phone in the ICU after a nurse asks her not to. Her chronicle is at its best when it focuses on Ned, who takes up the mission of talking to young kids, and warning them to wear helmets and seat belts. In the end, this schmaltzy tale of a therapeutic monkey, a tenacious mom, and a grateful son will make readers more fully appreciate the blessings in their lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)