Coming Around Again

by Ron Gallagher

A few years ago Christmas came early for my son, Kelly Gallagher, a boy who has severe disabilities and also long adored singer songwriter Carly Simon. Kelly, now 17, was given a Christmas present from his family (and from Simon herself) in the form of a concert and what turned out to be a close and lengthy tete-a-tete with his favorite star in her first live performance in years - a holiday benefit one Saturday night in December.

Kelly has loved the music and videos of Carly Simon almost since infancy. Although he has very limited speech, one of the first words he spoke was "Carly."

When we heard that Carly was hosting a holiday benefit concert at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem we thought it would be the absolute ideal Christmas present for Kelly but soon realized that it wasn't in the cards after we saw the $300 ticket price.

Kelly's attendance at the Carly Simon concert happened because my 26 -year-old daughter Casey wrote to Carly to thank her for her music and how much it means to Kelly. A few nights before the show we received a call from Carly's manager inviting us to her performance and the opportunity to have Kelly meet Carly after the performance.

We made the three-hour trip to New York City had dinner at a nice restaurant and were seated by 7:30 for the 8 p.m. show. Ten minutes before the show began, Kelly had a grand mal seizure. We moved Kelly into a hallway outside of the theater and administered medication, which made him sleep for the next 2 1/2 hours.

At the very end of the three-hour show, Carly started singing "You're So Vain." Suddenly, Kelly woke up from his deep sleep in the darkened waiting room and said, "That's Carly!"

We brought him into the rear of the theater, where he watched her sing her encore song, which is Kelly's favorite tune, "Coming Around Again."

An usher noticed us, and escorted us to the front of the stage where Carly looked down to see Kelly clapping and smiling to his favorite song.

After the show, we were escorted to the Green Room to meet Carly who sat with Kelly sang him a medley of her greatest hits. Then Carly gazed into his eyes while cupping the back of his head and sang a song just for him in the softest voice:

"My name is Carly, Your name is Kelly. How are you Kelly? My name is Carly."

Witnessing this interaction between a superstar and the way that she connected with our special boy was very spiritual. I figured that she would give him a hug and go on to the others in the crowd. She sat there stroking his hair and began to sing, "Loving You Is the Right Thing To Do." With Kelly gazing into her eyes, she mesmerized him with bits of each of the songs he has listened to hundreds of times on his well-worn tape player.

Although there were dozens of folks waiting to congratulate her on her monumental performance, she paid them no attention (and no one intruded into their space. At that hectic place, at that special moment in time, it was just she and Kelly --two beautiful souls (although meeting physically for the very first time, in harmony since Day One.)

My other children sang along on some of the songs Carly sang to Kelly. The amazing thing was that after Carly had given him so much attention and moved on to see others in the room, she came right back to Kelly again and again, as if magnetized by his charm.

Carly's music has been a constant source of comfort for our family. Aside from her music being played day and night in our home, throughout Kelly's many surgeries including two this past summer, Carly Simon tunes have played in the background. Each time Kelly awakens from an operation. He always expresses one constant thought about the situation: He says, "I know nothing stays the same," a line from the song "Coming Around Again." I believe Kelly is inspiring each of our family members to hang as tough as he is and know that "He'll be coming around again."

Recently I was listening to D.J. "Crazy Al" on my favorite oldies radio station out of Detroit when he mentioned that Carly Simon had a very severe stuttering problem as a child. When she could not get the words out of her mouth Carly's mother told her to try singing the words. These early songs of everyday speech must have launched Carly's earlier than most singing/songwriting career. Earlier in my story I had noted that Carly identified herself to Kelly by singing softly and slowly "My name is Carly -- Your name is Kelly" . . . perhaps Carly was "Coming Around Again".

Biography Ron Gallagher Ron and his wife Deborah love living in their incredibly beautiful small New England college town, Williamstown where Kelly's infectious huge smile and phenomenal personality make him a town celebrity. Their other two children have been totally selfless in their love, devotion and personal care for Kelly. Casey, 25 is a graduate of Siena College, and Devin, 21, is a senior at Bard College. Without their support and understanding, the quality of Kelly's life would pale by comparison. Although we get great support from Kelly's teachers and therapists and our wonderful friends, it's in the home where a family with a child who has severe disabilities achieves harmony. Kelly is an emerging young artist whose paintings have been highly acclaimed. His online gallery can be found at www.angelboyart.com