Daddy Bent-Legs: The 40-Year-Old Musings of a Physically Disabled Man, Husband, and Father Paperback – October 21, 2009

I just finished reading, "Daddy Bent-Legs" by Neil Matheson. It is an amazing book, which I give five stars. Only because there is no higher number! At first, although humorous, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to relate to the main topic of the book… Mainly because although the author does suffer from cerebral palsy; I have a more severe form, and I was really unable to relate to his trips to the beach and other things that I am unable to do… I.e. swimming. But then very soon in the book, he gets down to the nitty-gritty of what it's really like to have disability. How sometimes, through no fault of our own, but rather the way society is built, and the way things are run; a disability whether severe or moderate can cause us (those of us in the disabled community) to lose our dreams. Mostly because people sometimes don't want to see things in a different way. They only want to see them how they do. Yes, I am very impressed that Neil didn't let that stop him. He was able to find another dream, and fall in love; and raise a family. I realize that this goes against the grain of what many have been taught, but I also admire that although his journey to finding faith in Christ didn't start in the traditional way; his love for his wife let him to Jesus. He was able to see Jesus in her. I think that perhaps that is the greatest compliment to any love story and any Christian anywhere in the world. Be ready to be well-informed, entertained, and even shed some tears. A wonderful book.

i have a special brother who lived 65 years with CP. He is also mentally retarded. The older he got the more often he told people his life was real hard. He had a great sense of humor, always ready to say something outrageously funny. Loved him every minute oh his life. I am two years older and his strong belief in God enabled him to look forward to heaven where no one .needed crutches. I look forward to joining him in run around heaven.

This book caught my eye as I have a disabled husband with the same condition and the biggest similarity between the two men is their courage, humour and will to live life to the fullest. My husband's motto is: LIFE IS GREAT IF YOU DON'T WEAKEN. Neil has the same attitude and life CAN be great if your cup is mostly half full instead of half empty. Thank you Neil for the informative and inspirational book. I hope your writing career takes off in "leaps and bounds"!

This book is a great look at someone's life who was born with a disability. Trying to deal with this type of disability takes great courage and strength. I wish Neil all the best.

As the wife of a husband with disabilities, these insights are very valuable to me. Thank you for sharing your story.