Becoming Mrs. Rogers

by Cindi Rogers

Becoming Mrs. Rogers is the true and heart-felt story of one couple’s journey into acceptance following a devastating genetic diagnosis for both of their sons. Their story, its highs and lows entwined with its wisdom and compassion, has become a beacon of hope for thousands of families struggling with fragile X and other autism spectrum disorders.Fragile X is a common and inherited cause of learning difficulties, affecting a child's entire world, including social and behavioral problems as well as cognition and speech. Cindi Rogers not only tells her story, but also gives advice for new parents, sharing fact, such • the impact of Fragile X on the family• therapeutic methods for a Fragile X child• specific methods used in teaching individuals with Fragile X• the behavioral and physical characteristics of Fragile XRogers and her husband, Chris, share the perspectives and tools they embraced in order to help their boys be as happy and independent as they can possibly be. It is a story of challenges, tears, joy and hope.

292 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2014

Reviews

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been contemplating how best to write this review because it breaks down into two categories for me. So I'm going to write it that way and hope someone finds it useful.

Educational Value:
This book is a must have for doctors, educators, and therapists who work with special ability children/adults. First and foremost thank you to Cindi, Chris, and her family! She openly shares struggles, and teaches us how to overcome-with hope! She gives us reminders of how to effectively accomplish what we want-behavior, attitude, medical, and education wise. She share tips and tricks that got them through, and still help to this day. And most importantly she sheds light on making a difference, advocating for your special loved ones best in life! I would highly recommend you purchase for teachers, family, friends, therapists, and anyone else in contact with your child. The educational value is over five stars, there is no rating great enough for what you can gain!

And now for the personal:
When Cindi revealed her secret to me I was delighted! Being new to the Fragile X world I had always heard about the famous Mrs Rogers, so I couldn't wait to read it. I found myself highlighting and outlining and marking things to discuss with doctors, therapists, new teachers, and even the principal! I was delighted at the HOPE Cindi and her beautiful family share, but also understood the grief, the heartache, the challenges, and the overwhelming feeling in the FX diagnosis. They share truth, and how life really is about what you make it to be! So with that...I highly recommend this book, five stars and above!

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming Mrs. Rogers is a wonderful read for all families who have a loved one affected by Fragile X Syndrome and also for families coping with issues also seen in other autism spectrum disorders and more. All families will see similarities in how the Rogers family began their family, went through The Diagnosis time in their lives and beyond into the How to Cope, Organize and Fully Live the rest of their lives. You'll connect with the emotions of this book and be grateful for the tools and strategies you'll learn. A great gift for extended family members also so that they begin to learn what it's really like for our families in Becoming Mrs. Rogers.

[Sulie Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading if you are a Fragile X parent. Suggested reading if you are a special needs parent with a different issue. The author's personal stories and ability to engage the reader are so superb, that there are parts my son has even had me read to him, and it had made the author's two sons heroes in our house. Practical advice given is extremely helpful.

[Cindi Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to all that have read my personal story of raising our 2 sons that were born with a genetic developmental disability called fragile X syndrome. I think this book will be helpful to anyone facing a challenge in life! It was my goal to provide hope to families facing the diagnosis of a disability and to share our story so that they don't feel alone.

[Ashley Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone who has a child with Fragile X Syndrome or works with someone with FXS. Love Cindi's story of her journey and all the practical advice and strategies. I am encouraging my son's therapists and teachers to read it.

[Carrie Lakatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous story. Thank you to Cindi to opening her heart and life to us! A must read.

[Pauline Evanosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming Mrs. Rogers by Cindi Rogers. This was more than an insightful book about being the parents of two boys with Fragile X. It was a story of years of learning how to be able, mother and father, to communicate with their two sons, to love, and to be a family. Compared to the families you come across in ordinary life, this man and woman demonstrated superhuman strength in learning how to communicate and be with their children. The family is involved with the Fragile X community and has helped to devise, with the help of experts in the field, ways of having a loving life with their sons.

Every individual experiences Fragile X in their own way. Not being able to talk, having low IQs, and being so sensitive that even a trip to the grocery store is fraught with difficulty. Fragile X is an inherited condition where the last bit of the X chromosome is fragile. Mostly, males show the condition, though sometimes females get it too. Females carry the Fragile X chromosome, and there is no way to tell before having children that something might happen.

It's a toss of the dice, and this story is the story of people who are so strong, so loving, so tenacious in the journey to be a loving family and to provide for their children as they become adults. It is a must read.

[Kathy Strand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to know how to start this review. Fragile X is new to me. I do not have a loved one with this condition...but I do have a special needs grandson. Also a genetic disorder.
There is so much to learn from Cindi that applies to all special needs kids. Tackling the personal loss of dreams, giving up personal goals, time management...and I could go on and on. I could not put the book down and am eager to implement some of what I have learned.
What a book of hope and encouragement! Loved her devotion to improving the life of her boys. Lots to learn about navigating the medical and educational system. Cindi gives hints that I haven't yet thought I might need. What a great reference for what knowledge I may need in the future.
I love that she has opened her heart and experiences for special needs families to know that we are all in this together and there are others that have walked this path before and we CAN survive the journey! Thanks, Cindi

[Yvonne Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The later chapters, of this book, number 37 on were of particular interest to me. A family member with intellectual disability will need to find suitable part time work when he finishes education . Cindi has explained in detail how her sons were trained to do cleaning and some retail support tasks. They were able to have a state provided mentor to accompany the young men to work places in the community.
A useful book with lots of ideas.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Cindi for sharing your story with us. Hearing your perspective on this ‘mystical ‘ condition gave me great insight into what to expect and how to cope. It also gives me hope for the future. Thanks!!

[Atlantis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I was looking for- this is more of a memoir of a mother than about kids with Fragile X. I’m sorry, I wanted to like this book, I wanted it to inspire me but it didn’t.

[Karen Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this memoir, author Cindi Rogers paints a vivid true tale of what it's like to raise two sons with Fragile X Syndrome, the leading genetic cause of autism. If you are thinking of reading it because you have a child with Fragile X Syndrome, be forewarned that her two boys are among the most severe of examples of people with the syndrome. But know that Rogers kept her life and marriage intact while raising her sons, so you probably can handle your child too, using her examples of how she helped her autistic children be as independent as they could be by the time they reached adulthood.