Music is often a perfect escape from the mundane routine of our lives, taking us away from reality. For some, however, music is a bridge that connects us closer to the world, especially this two-year-old boy with Down syndrome, Bo.
Back in January, Amanda Bowman Gray, a mother from Utah, shared a video of her children singing “You Are My Sunshine” on Facebook, where it quickly attracted attention. Not only was it the most adorable sight as Amanda’s daughter Lydia played the guitar and sang, but it was also extremely special. As Lydia sang the song over and over the again, her brother started picking up words she sang, thus learning his first words through music. Bo has a vocabulary of 12 words, with ‘happy’ being his first word.
“Of course, I screamed, and I brought down my husband! I teared up, I was very emotional,” Amanda told PEOPLE about the first time she heard her son speak. She says that her son’s progress is a proof that music therapy works as the specialist had warned her that Bo most likely would only start to speak at the age of 3 and later.
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Meet Bo, a lively two-year-old boy with Down syndrome from Utah
Bo has 4 siblings, 3 brothers and a sister, that love and take care of him
Back in January his mother, Amanda, shared a video on Facebook that went viral with 61M views and around 3M likes and shares
In the video, Bo sits alongside his sister Lydia, who plays “You Are My Sunshine” on guitar
As Lydia sang the song over and over the again, her brother started picking up words
By learning words through music, he finally uttered his first one, “happy”
“I teared up, I was very emotional,” says Amanda
“You Are My Sunshine” is a very special song to Bo, as his parents sang it while he was in CICU after a heart surgery
After he recovered, his musically-inclined sister kept singing the song over and over again
He started uttering words that a specialist said he wouldn’t be able to before the age of 3
“He’s defied the odds of what was possible with Down Syndrome,” his mother said
Amanda advocates for music therapy, saying that Bo is a proof it works
“Every word he has learned has been through music and singing” his mother explained
Watch the video below to see Bo and Lydia’s adorable singing
People were quick to express their support to Bo and Lydia
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