The Sun in my Heart: A memoir of a mother and her son who has Down syndrome

by Peter Rowe, Betty Rowe

Overview

The relentless struggles Betty Rowe endured in her life on the land from the 1950s, raising six children, one with Down syndrome, served to prepare her for the even bigger challenge that lay ahead: the challenge of helping her now adult son Peter find his voice at last and speak out against those who thought he had no voice. Peter Rowe became the whistleblower on one of the worst cases of institutional sexual and emotional abuse in Queensland, perhaps in Australia. Today, Peter, despite his disability, is a professional artist, poet and author, living a fulfilling life thanks in no small measure to Betty's faith and unfaltering love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780645029819
Publisher:	Publicious Book Publishing
Publication date:	01/06/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	223
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Peter was born with Down syndrome. He grew to manhood unable to speak and communicate his needs. Then, in his 30's he learned to communicate through a system known as Facilitated Communication and showed himself to be a highly intelligent, sensitive and artistic man. Courageously, in 2002 he became the whistle-blower in one of the worst cases of institutional sexual and emotional abuse in Queensland. He is a published children's author and an acknowledged painter, devoted to throwing light on the tragedies that can befall the disabled.
As a young woman Betty was training to be an opera singer. Instead she married Justin a sheep-farmer on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales and was introduced to a life of struggle and hardship leavened with the joy of family. Her sixth child, Peter, was born with Down syndrome. In 'The Sun in my Heart Betty,' now a vigorous ninety years of age, tells the remarkable story of their woven-together life, from heart break to a transcendent breakthrough.