Most of us take for granted just how truly remarkable the human body is.  With enough desire and determination it can be trained to run a mile in under four minutes or to dead lift 500 pounds or to bend and flex itself into some of the most uncomfortable looking positions imaginable.  The human body can heal and mend itself, and it can learn to cope with pain and heart ache.  And in the case of 14-year-old Ben Underwood, the human body can learn to cope with the loss of one of its senses.

When Ben was 2-years-old he lost his eyesight to cancer.  At such a young age, such an experience must have been mortifying, but Ben’s mother, Aquanetta, reminded him that he still had his other senses, and it is his other senses that have made him quite the unique individual he is today.

Most people may not know this, but when the human body suffers the loss of one of its senses, the others grow stronger to make up for the impairment.  In the case of Ben Underwood, his senses became dolphin-like. 

Yes, you read it correctly, dolphin-like.  Ben has somehow mastered echolocation, which is the practice of bouncing sound waves off objects to figure out where he is and what is surrounding him; the same way dolphins navigate under water. To look at Ben, you can’t tell he is blind.  He can rollerblade, play videogames and deftly walk down streets and navigate like any person with eyesight.

When it would have been easier to just accept the hand fate had dealt him and for his mother to become to overprotective of him and limit what he could and could not do a different approach was taken.  Ben was allowed to pursue any interests he had growing up and taught his body to adapt so that he could do them, while his mother has supported him, never telling him he couldn’t do certain activities because he was blind.

This is an inspiring story, one with many lessons in regards to good parenting, as well as adapting to the hardships of life and thriving instead of letting them take over and limit what we can accomplish during our short time on this planet.  But I also think it teaches us that we can be and do anything we want if we are willing to work for it and ignore the nay saying of others.

If a 14-year-old boy with no sight can play videogames and walk down the street and be fully aware of his surroundings, then those of us who have been blessed with fully functioning bodies can get that college degree we’ve always wanted, run a marathon, climb a mountain, write a novel—anything.

The next time you catch yourself coming up with an excuse for not being able to do something, think of young Ben Underwood and the dramatic feat he has accomplished in his young life.

For more information on Ben and his story, you can visit the following link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/19/earlyshow/main1817689.shtml

About the Author - David Benton is a freelance writer and the sole owner of DM Writing and Editing Services (http://www.dmweservices.com/). He lives in the Central Valley of California with his wife and two dogs. He can be reached at dm42603 [at] aol.com.