Ben Underwood

A cancer deprived Ben Underwood’s of both his eyes when he was merely two years old, but this boy has never looked back since; he did not let his blindness stop him from navigating the world.

Born in Riverside, California on 26 January 1992, Ben was a healthy baby who had never spent extended lengths of time at the hospital or with the doctor’s. Unfortunately, all that changed two years later when the pupil of his right eye suddenly turned white and he was diagnosed with a cancer called bilateral retinoblastoma which swiftly consumed both his eyes and took away his vision.

Despite his loss of sight, Ben Underwood went on to live a life of legacy by teaching himself a skill called echolocation commonly used by bats and dolphins. This involved making clicking noises with his tongue and listening to the sound waves created to identify objects, gauge distance and move around safely. In other words, Ben got his ears to help him see the world instead of using his eyes.

Experts say that Ben’s ability to navigate in his sightless world is extraordinary. Ben was truly the first of his kind. While many blind people do listen for echoes to some degree, they still rely on a walking cane or a guide dog to get around. Ben was among the extremely few blind people who use echolocation alone to move from place to place. He pushed the limits of human perception by doing incredibly amazing things – he attended mainstream schools instead of special ones; he participated in normal activities any growing child would engage in; he played basketball, danced with girls, rode a bicycle and practised karate. By memorizing scenarios and identifying sounds that characters in video games made just before they changed positions, Ben even mastered video games and surprised everyone around him playing like a professional.

Ben became an instant Internet sensation and worldwide celebrity when the story of his life and his amazing ability to see with his ears was publicised in 2006. With fame on his side, he began to motivate people to live a meaningful life and encourage those like him to overcome adversity. He appeared on television programmes and radio talk shows across America and beyond to tell his story, and delivered inspirational speeches. He truly believed that his life could be used by God to encourage and help others.

Even after attaining worldwide fame, Ben continued to push the limits by remaining focused in his pursuit of living life to the fullest. He wanted to overcome his fear of water so he took a trip to San Diego’s SeaWorld Adventure Park to swim with dolphins and learn how dolphins use echolocation. He also started writing a novel, typing the words of his science fiction story using a computer keyboard, and even taught himself Japanese because of his love for that country.

To Ben Underwood, it is not the end of the world if you lose your sight. His world might be dark but he was able to achieve whatever he set his mind to do with his ears, and clicking

with his tongue. He did not let the lack of sight turn him into a miserable person living an unhappy and unfulfilling life. He refused to live a life as a helpless and needy handicapped person but instead encouraged and helped people around him.

Ben passed away in 2009 a few days shy of his seventeenth birthday. He had developed a tumour in his sinus cavity and succumbed to the same cancer that took away his eyes when he was two years old.

Ben Underwood was truly a hero who taught the world that nothing is impossible and that life can be purposeful if you want it to be. Although he was no longer physically here, he will always be remembered as the boy who saw without eyes.