Youtor
Charlie the boy who beat deafness to play the violin
>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=xCyBMc7pWwI
The Telegraph meets a brilliant musical family whose deaf son has fought against the odds. • Matt and Emma Denton, both professional musicians, discovered within hours of their son's birth that he could not hear properly. • At one, Charlie was prescribed hearing aids. By the age of two and a half he was pronounced deaf - so deaf, said his doctors, that if an aeroplane took off next to him, he would not hear it. • Charlie's only hope, his parents were told, was to have a bilateral cochlear implant, often known as the bionic ear . • But the operation carried serious risks: not least, facial paralysis and meningitis. After terrible soul-searching, they decided to go ahead. • Charlie came through astonishingly and started to pick up new words for the first time. • Then, surpassing their wildest expectations, he took up the violin, like Daddy , and started piano lessons. • But Emma was not satisfied with the explanation that Charlie's deafness was just one of those things . While Googling his symptoms, including a severe reaction to sunlight, she came across Usher Syndrome, a rare and incurable genetic disorder that can lead to blindness as well. • Just as they were about to go on stage to give a concert, the Dentons received a phone call confirming that Charlie indeed has Usher Type1B, the most severe form of the disease. He could be blind before he reaches adulthood. • Having come through so much, you might expect the Dentons to be sucked into a quicksand of despair. Instead, they radiate reassurance. • When people find out, says Emma, there's always the reaction: how tragic, these musicians have a deaf child. But for me, it has never seemed a tragedy. Charlie is seven now, such a happy, lovely, fun boy. He is a real fighter and an inspiration to us all. • He loves music. He has taken to his new ears brilliantly and has caught up at school. • He thinks having implants is special. 'I don't have to listen to you hoovering', he says, and flicks them off. He and his sister, Daisy, four, have a special way of communicating. They have developed their own little sign patterns. They are each other's constant. • Knowing about Usher Syndrome means that at least we are prepared for the possibility that Charlie will lose his sight -- some parents are not so fortunate -- and when the time is right we can prepare him. We don't want to alarm him at the moment because the condition does not develop in a predictable pattern. (The progressive loss of vision is caused by an associated eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa.) • The Telegraph went to the Denton's house to meet Charlie and watch him play the violin. • Get the latest headlines http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ • Subscribe to The Telegraph http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... • Like us on Facebook / telegraph.co.uk • Follow us on Twitter / telegraph • Follow us on Google+ https://plus.google.com/1028913550727... • Telegraph.co.uk and / telegraphtv are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
#############################
