[Nfbf-l] Sad but inspiring too!

[Beth]

Okay, so we all know Ben, but this is really sad.  Honestly, I can
relate.  I had a friend named Carey Loveridge, aged fifteen, and she
died of aplastic anemia.  Her wish was to meet Michael Balton, and she
did.  She was a sweet girl and a good Christian.  Ben's story is much
different, but I don't see why this isn't inspiring.
Beth

On 1/10/09, Sherri <flmom2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Though this article could be seen by some as a little paternizing, to me it
> is inspirational.
> Sherri
> This is sad!
>
>
>
> Blind Elk Grove teen who 'sees' with sound looks at death without fear
> By Cynthia Hubert
> chubert at sacbee.com
> Published: Wednesday, Jan. 07, 2009 | Page 1A
> Time is growing short for the boy who "sees" with sound.
>
> Ben Underwood, the blind teenager who has dazzled people all over the
> world with his ability to navigate using a tongue-clicking skill
> called echolocation, is getting weaker day by day.
>
> The cancer that took his eyes when he was a toddler has returned with
> a vengeance, invading his brain and his spinal cord. Ben's legs no
> longer are strong enough to support him, and his mother must carry
> him up and down the stairs of their Elk Grove home. The teenager who
> traveled the globe the past two years giving inspirational speeches
> and impressing people with his ability to get around in a world he
> cannot see, spends most of his time these days in a hospital bed in
> the living room, sleeping, praying and listening to music.
>
> Ben is under the care of hospice nurses, and he understands what that
> means. But he insists he is not afraid of dying, even at the tender
> age of 16. One day soon, he told his mother, Aquanetta Gordon, he
> simply will go to sleep and wake up in heaven.
>
> "He is such a strong kid. He never complains," Gordon said on a
> recent day, as Ben slept nearby under a fuzzy blue blanket. "I am the
> one who cries. The idea of having to bury my baby? I'm not sure how
> to do this."
>
> Ben's doctors said he could have weeks, or months, to live. But
> whenever the end comes, he will have left a powerful imprint.
>
> Since The Bee published his story in May 2006, Ben has been featured
> in magazines, newspapers and television programs from Japan to Great
> Britain. He gave an inspirational speech to some 10,000 people at a
> Christian conference in Hawaii and has become an Internet sensation.
> He has chatted with Oprah Winfrey and danced with Ellen DeGeneres on
> national TV. He has become friends with the iconic musician Stevie
> Wonder, who celebrated his 16th birthday with him and slipped into
> town quietly again last week for a visit.
>
> "Ben is an extraordinary young man who has inspired literally
> millions of people," said his doctor, Kaiser Permanente pediatric
> oncologist Kent Jolly. "He has fought a heroic battle."
>
> Blind since he was a toddler, when a cancer called retinoblastoma
> took both of his eyes, Ben adapted remarkably well. He taught himself
> to reach places safely by counting steps and by using his keen senses
> of hearing, smell and touch. Gordon insisted that her son attend
> mainstream schools and be treated no differently from his classmates.
> She encouraged him to take risks.
>
> When he got older, Ben taught himself to identify objects by making
> clicking noises with his tongue, creating sound waves that he uses to
> identify objects and get around. The skill, called echolocation, is
> commonly seen in bats and dolphins but rarely documented in humans.
>
> Thanks to his spirit and his incredible navigational skills, Ben has
> been able to take part in all of the rituals and activities of
> childhood and adolescence.
>
> He has attended mainstream schools, most recently Sheldon High, and
> has refused to use a white cane identifying him as blind. He's played
> basketball, practiced karate, skated and ridden a bike through his
> Elk Grove neighborhood, clicking his tongue and listening for sound
> waves that tell him whether he is facing a brick wall, a metal car or
> other obstacles. He's learned to type 60 words per minute and text
> message his friends. He's played video games by memorizing scenarios
> and identifying sounds that characters make before they move or strike.
>
> Jolly and Ben's pediatric ophthalmologist, James Ruben, said they
> have never met anyone quite like him.
>
> "It's extraordinary that Aquanetta has raised him without treating
> him as if he was disabled, and Ben has risen to the challenge," Jolly
> said. "He's never been allowed to cut corners or take it easy or feel
> sorry for himself."
>
> Ben's cancer was in check until 2007, when he developed a tumor in
> his sinus cavity. Intensive chemotherapy, radiation treatments and
> experimental measures have failed to cure it, Jolly said.
>
> The teen continues to get radiation treatments that keep him more
> comfortable, but the effects are temporary, said Jolly. Ben dislikes
> taking pain medication, but gets some relief when his mother gently
> massages his head and shoulders.
>
> Her son is aware that his time is running out, Gordon said, and he
> accepts his situation, though he has not talked much about it. "After
> the doctor told us what was going on, I asked Ben, 'Are you afraid to
> die? Are you scared? Do you need me to hold you?' " she said. He told
> her that he had no fear, and that he looks forward to seeing her in heaven.
>
> "He's totally at peace," Gordon said. "My strength comes from him."
>
> In recent weeks, as Ben has become weaker, his many friends have been
> spending long hours at his bedside. They rub his hands and feet,
> fluff his pillows and play his choice of music on the stereo in the
> living room. Some of his favorite tunes are songs from a gospel rap
> CD that he created. The project is not quite finished. Maybe Stevie
> Wonder will take up the task, Gordon mused.
>
> "Ben has always been a kid I could rely on," said Gordon, who has
> four other children, ages 13 and up. "Always responsible. Always
> taking care of business.
>
> "I only get him for a moment. I won't get to see him get married or
> have a family or go to college.
>
> "But Ben's life wasn't just for me. It was to share with the world.
> Now Ben is dying in a graceful way. That's part of his purpose, too."
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Call The Bee's Cynthia Hubert, (916) 321-1082.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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