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• After losing his sight to cancer at age two, Ben Underwood taught himself to "see" using echolocation. By making a clicking sound and then listening to how the sound bounced off nearby objects, Underwood was able to determining the location and distance of surrounding items. Using this method, Underwood was able to successfully walk around without using a cane, not to mention ride a bicycle, rollerblade, swim, play basketball and practice karate. Underwood died of cancer in January of 2009, at the age of 16.AJC.com: Blind teen with remarkable 'echolocation' skills dies at 16 (January 22, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: January 26, 1992
  2. Mother: Aquanetta Gordon
  3. Resided in Elk Grove, California
  4. Diagnosed with bilateral retnoblastoma (cancer in both eyes) shortly after he was bornBenUnderwood.com: About
  5. Taught himself to use echolocation at around age three, shortly after his both his eyes were removedYouTube Video: Ben Underwood Intro Video (Time: 3:53)
  6. Bats and dolphins use echolocation to navigate and find prey
  7. Was featured in People Magazine, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres ShowBenUnderwood.com: About
  8. Traveled internationally to deliver motivational speeches
  9. Met and befriended Stevie WonderAJC.com: Blind teen with remarkable 'echolocation' skills dies at 16 (January 22, 2009)
  10. Cancer recurred in 2007 and spread to his brain and spinal cordThe Sacramento Bee: Blind Elk Grove teenager loses fight with cancer (January 20, 2008)
  11. Died on January 19, 2009The Sacramento Bee: Blind Elk Grove teenager loses fight with cancer (January 20, 2008)
  12. Passed away one week before his 17th birthday

• Quotes

  "Ben was perhaps the most inspirational patient I've seen in more than 20 years in medicine."—Pediatric eye surgeon James RubenAJC.com: Blind teen with remarkable 'echolocation' skills dies at 16 (January 22, 2009)

  "One thing that I truly get back from Ben being blind is that he truly sees people from within. When he hears someone say that someone else is ugly, or anything negative towards someone else. He says, 'That's whats wrong with sighted people, you all look at one another and judge what you look like.'"—Ben Underwood's mother, Aquanetta GordonBenUnderwood.com: About

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Cancer | Blindness | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Stevie Wonder | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | People Magazine | Dolphins | Bat

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