This article first appeared in the Miami Herald in collaboration with the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media.
When Walter Sylvain was 7 years old, his mother, Michelle, heard his voice for the very first time.
It was both heartbreaking and miraculous. After slipping out of their home in West Little River on Nov. 16, 2017, Walter, who is on the autism spectrum, wandered into the street and was hit by an SUV.
As he lay on the ground, he looked up and saw Michelle running toward him. He reached out and spoke one word: “Mama.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Michelle said, sitting in their modest living room, her voice full of emotion with a hint of shock. “I had waited so long to hear him say something, and that’s what he said when he saw me.”
Now 15, Walter still lives with the effects of that accident. His mother gently lifted his leg to show the lump in his right thigh where his femur had been shattered. She demonstrated how Walter struggles to fully extend his leg and walks with a limp that still requires physical therapy.
The troubles don’t end there. Diagnosed with autism when he was 2, Walter faces hurdles every day.
But there is one thing that brings Walter peace: music, especially when played on the piano. This holiday season, Michelle hopes to see Walter’s love for music fulfilled with a keyboard of his own, a gift she believes is the perfect outlet for her son.
“Even when he couldn’t talk, he was always tapping his fingers,” Michelle said, lightly tapping her own fingers on the wooden dining room table. “I think it’s the vibration and the sound that he loves. It soothes him.” Without access to a real piano at home, Walter makes do with a piano app on Michelle’s phone, tapping melodies on the small screen.
At Miami Central High School, the teachers have embraced Walter’s love of music. His hands touch the keys on the school’s piano in the back corner of the band room, and as he plays, Walter’s face lights up with joy.
“Music brings out a different side of him,” said Fabiola Delerme, his teacher. “When he’s at the piano, he’s more engaged, alive, and expressive. It’s as though the music unlocks something in him.”
Jasmine Fulton, a paraprofessional in Walter’s class, agreed. “Music is everything to Walter. It’s his favorite thing to do. He lights up whenever he hears or plays it.”
When asked about his favorite type of music, Walter gave a single-word answer: “Jazz”
His love for the genre is clear.
“He picks the music he wants to listen to,” Fulton said. “Slow music, especially jazz, seems to calm him the most.”
For Michelle, Walter’s journey has been one of resilience and sacrifice. The aftermath of the accident was grueling. She stayed by his side for 40 days in the hospital, sleeping in a chair and rarely leaving his room. The stress caused her to lose her hair and gain weight.
“I couldn’t sleep or eat properly,” she said, overwhelmed with emotion. “And the medical bills … they were over $100,000.”
Despite the challenges, Michelle’s determination has never wavered. She sees a full-size keyboard with a stand — more practical than a piano — as a way to give her son some of the joy he deserves after everything they’ve been through.
He was nominated for Wish Book by the nonprofit agency, Hope for Miami, which said granting him his wish for the musical “would fulfill a dream and encourage his musical journey and personal growth.”
“Music is one of the only things that makes him happy,” his mother said.
Walter’s teachers believe a keyboard could unlock even more potential.
“Who knows?” Fulton said. “He could become a musical genius. Time will tell.”
For now, the focus is on giving Walter a tool to express himself and find calm in a world that can often be overwhelming.
“He’s grown so much socially,” Delerme said. “Music has played a big part in that.”
As Michelle spoke of her son’s future, her voice softened. “I just wanted him to have something he loves, something that’s his.”
This holiday season, Michelle dreams of seeing Walter’s face light up with joy in their living room as he touches the keys of his very own keyboard. For her, it’s not just about making music, it’s about healing and hope for the boy who first spoke to her in a moment of fear and uncertainty.
