Silent Angel
By Sue Mayfield Geiger
Cortney Black was sixteen when she died in March 2003, but she is very much alive in the hearts of her family and friends.
Born a normal, healthy infant, symptoms of Rett Syndrome (RS) did not appear until Cortney was fifteen months old, characteristic for the disorder. Parents Kevin and Patricia Black knew very little about this rarity that affects one in 10,000 to 15,000 births; primarily females. Because they eventually lose all forms of communication, they have become known as "silent angels" to the RS community.
Rett Syndrome is a debilitating neurological disorder that usually occurs six to eighteen months of age, causing loss of speech and motor skills. Most develop repetitive hand movements, irregular breathing, seizures, gait abnormalities and mental retardation. RS leaves its victims profoundly disabled, requiring maximum assistance with every aspect of daily living. There is no known cure.
Before symptoms begin, remarkably the child appears to grow and develop quite normal. Loss of muscle tone is usually the first symptom. Problems crawling or walking may occur, plus diminished eye contact. Autistic-like behavior in the early stages are common. Although the majority of females live into adulthood, Cortney lost her battle at age sixteen.
Kevin Black, along with brothers Brian, Mark and Clint (yes, that Clint Black), was raised in Katy, Texas. His humble upbringing and wide grin are the kinds of things typical of songwriters, so it was only natural that he became one. "Music was my life from the time I could hold a guitar," says Kevin. He sang anytime, anywhere, any place. He eventually found himself on stage at clubs, honky-tonks and people's living rooms – even construction sites. As with most artists, they have to have a day gig. Kevin's was hanging steel.
It is a custom in the building industry to install a Christmas tree to the apex of a steel building on the day it is completed. When the owner of the construction company where Kevin worked decided to visit the jobsite on a day when a building had been finished, he was surprised to see, not a Christmas tree atop the building, but a temporary bandstand complete with drums, amps, base, and guitar, along with Kevin and his fellow musical workers. They were five stories up in the air, entertaining the plant workers and passing traffic by belting out song after song.
Meanwhile, brother Clint's career was reaching mega proportions. Kevin was proud of Clint and continued on his own path. But all the while, the sadness of Cortney's debilitating illness was hard on the Black family. Since statistics show that most girls with RS live into adulthood, Cortney's untimely death was a shock. Although, it has been three years, Kevin still grieves mightily for his daughter, and is doing everything he can to bring awareness to a disorder that is misunderstood by many.
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