The book that changed his life Boy who struggled to read now a psychotherapis

A book about a boy who struggled in school before rising to become one of America’s most celebrated neurosurgeons changed the way Ontonio Dawson saw himself.

At 13, Dawson was struggling to read and had just failed the then Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), leaving him behind while friends his age moved on to high school. Then his sister handed him Gifted Hands, the autobiography of Dr Ben Carson, the renowned American neurosurgeon who grew up in poverty in Detroit, USA, battled poor grades as a boy and, with the encouragement of his mother, went on to become director of paediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The book chronicles Carson’s journey from a struggling student to a pioneering neurosurgeon and recounts the faith, determination and perseverance he credits for helping him overcome the odds. It also details some of the complex surgeries that brought Carson international recognition.

For Dawson, however, the significance of Gifted Hands was deeply personal. It was the first book he challenged himself to read, despite struggling with unfamiliar words. More importantly, Carson’s story helped him to see the possibilities that lay ahead if only he applied himself.

“This book would eventually become the book that transformed my mindset and changed my outlook,” Dawson says.

Growing up in Trelawny during the 1990s brought happy memories of rural life — going to the river, fishing, hunting birds, playing outdoors and enjoying fruits and vegetables in season. However, alongside those memories were difficult days.

His parents were farmers and, according to Dawson, there were occasions when they struggled to find the money to send him to school. He was also bullied and called hurtful names because of his weight.

“It affected my mental health, to be honest,” he says, adding that academic struggles compounded the problem, resulting in him unable to secure a high-school placement after taking the GSAT.

He had to remain at his all-age school while his peers moved on to secondary school, leaving him with feelings of shame and inadequacy.

Once his family recognised the extent of his academic difficulties, his older siblings stepped in. His sister gave him a copy of Gifted Hands.

He struggled through unfamiliar words, breaking them into syllables and returning to the pages day after day. Gradually, the words became easier. By grade eight, he was reading at grade level.

“So, it took me one year to move from a very low reader to performing at the grade that I should be; and after that, I kind of, you know, started seeing the worth in myself,” he says, noting that change in self-belief proved pivotal.

Dawson went on to distinguish himself academically. He credits his family, teachers and Christian faith, which became part of his life at age seven, for helping him overcome adversity.

“Faith has been a fundamental part of my life and my identity. In fact, I would call it the foundation,” he says.

After becoming a police officer in Jamaica, Dawson moved to the UK after his marriage and secured a job within four days in a forensic mental health unit. The experience sparked a new career path. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in management studies, he pursued further training and became a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist.

The former struggling reader now teaches future therapists.