[Nfbf-l] Sad but inspiring too!

Sun Jan 11 00:30:33 UTC 2009

I wasn't saying it wasn't inspiring. That's why I sent it out. *smile.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Listserv" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 6:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Sad but inspiring too!


> 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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