Jonathan Bryan was born with severe cerebral palsy. From an early age, he was deemed “unteachable.” But because his mother refused to give up, the 12-year-old boy is now the author of a 192-page memoir.
The young boy’s tenacious mother, Chantal, taught Jonathan how to communicate by flicking his eyes toward letters pasted to a transparent board, The Daily Mail reported. With the help of Jonathan’s father, Christopher, and teacher, Sarah, Chantal has also spent years reading to her son and teaching him to write.
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Now, the Wiltshire, England, native has compiled his thoughts — all of which came from his “locked-in” mind — into an autobiography titled, “Eye Can Write.”
“My writing method is slow,” Jonathan said in an interview, according to The Christian Institute. “I plan and then I write. I don’t like to repeat the same word twice, so I like my thesaurus.”
“When I am writing, I don’t like it when people predict the word I am writing half way through,” he added. “It’s very annoying.”
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Though he’s only 12 years old and unable to speak the way most people do, the legacy he’s leaving already far outpaces what many around him ever thought possible.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby met the young author in April and described him as someone “who teaches me what it really means to know and trust God’s love and grace.”
The Anglican leader detailed the transformative meeting in a lengthy Twitter thread:
2. One of those people is Jonathan Bryan, who I’ve had the privilege of getting know a little. He has taught me so much. pic.twitter.com/PjaiY2UE4N
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
4. Jonathan’s wonderful parents – Christopher and Chantal – were told he would never be able to communicate. But together with his teacher, Sarah, they believed in him and never gave up (and nor did Jonathan). pic.twitter.com/HVL9Iv4yxX
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
6. In Jonathan I met a fellow disciple of Christ. He profoundly knows the love and grace of God. He trusts and gives testimony to the comfort of the presence of Jesus.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
8. There is an idea in Christian spirituality of ‘thin’ places – places where people have felt especially close to God. The kind of places you lose track of time and have a profound sense of Christ.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
10. It's a privilege I hardly know how to express. But I thank God for this child of his who is a ‘thin’ place.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
12. And I pray that all our lives could be defined by Christ’s presence in this way. pic.twitter.com/sNWPa4728P
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 18, 2018
Not only has Jonathan’s ability to communicate revolutionized his own world, it’s also changed those around him.
In an interview on ITV’s “This Morning,” host Holly Willoughby said, “For him, it must have been so incredible. To be able to have that moment and communicate and just let you know what was going on for the first time. It must have been an incredible thing for both of you, all of you in his life.”
“It was amazing,” Chantal replied. “We never knew what was going on in his head.”
Jonathan left such a profound impact on Archbishop Welby when they met that the church leader delivered the opening prayer during the “Eye Can Write” book launch over the weekend.
“We bless you for Jonathan,” Welby prayed. “For his amazing life, his determination, his courage, his wisdom and that he trusts you.”
Very grateful and humbled by @JustinWelby prayer at my #EyeCanWrite and @TeachUsToo launch on Thursday. You can see the prayer below and buy my book here: https://t.co/WCzTSQJtaF pic.twitter.com/By5b20KI2A
— Jonathan Bryan (@eyecantalk) July 14, 2018
A portion of the proceeds from Jonathan’s book will be donated to his charity, Teach Us Too, which is dedicated to promoting the right for all children — regardless of the health issues they might be facing — to learn to read and write.