Book in Review

Page 8 Remembrance Month! November 2021 Book in Review...Echoes of an Angel

A boy who lost his eyes, but could still see

Book by: Aquanetta Gordon with Chris Macias

Written by: Lynne Wood

Echoes of an Angel

is a true story written by Aquanetta Gordon, the mother of Ben Underwood, a very remarkable boy who lost his eyes to cancer before he was three years old. Thanks to his loving mother, Ben could still see. On the morning of Ben's surgery, her heart was very hopeful. She felt the Lord's presence and He told her three things: Ben will live and not die; Ben will see again and this isn't for you. Even though she was just beginning her walk with Christ, she had faith he would live. Aquanetta didn't know then how Ben would see again, but she trusted the Lord that he would. She didn't understand the part, "this isn't for you," until years later.

After the operation when Ben woke up and cried, "Mom I can't see anymore," she thought her heart would break. She told Ben, "You can see, only differently. You can see me with your nose, with your hands and with your ears; that means you can still see me." That would be the last time Ben would say he couldn't see. Many people criticized Aquanetta for being hard on Ben, but they soon came to realize after observing Ben, that he was enjoying life.

Ben was full of the Holy Spirit; he was always happy. One day, his teacher asked him why he was happy and always smiling. His answer was because he has Jesus in his heart. Aquanetta is a single mom raising five children; she treated them all the same .

Ben was never given special treatment because he was blind; she always told him you can do anything. Through his mom, he actually learned to see with sound; he could do anything a sighted person could. Ben had three brothers and one sister. They taught him to ride a bike, play ball, climb trees and he earned a yellow belt in karate. What an amazing young man; nothing would stop him, except a fear of water, which he overcame and learned to surf. Ben had many friends, including Stevie Wonder, who he met at a convention. They became very good friends who would be there for one another.

Aquanetta told Ben, "Your gift is for the benefit of other people to show them that with faith in God, anything is possible." That's when she realized what the Lord meant when He said that Ben's blindness wasn't for her. Ben was a bold witness for Christ; he would tell anybody about the Lord. Unfortunately, his cancer returned; it was very aggressive. It never bothered Ben; he trusted the Lord completely. His mom was understandably quite upset, but Ben simply said, "This is God's will." Ben told his mom, "Be happy for me, no tears: I'm going to be with the Lord."

Ben's funeral was on what would have been his seventeenth birthday. Over two thousand people, including Stevie Wonder, came to pay their respects to a young man who touched so many lives. I just gave you a glimpse into Ben's life; what an inspiration he was. I know this book will inspire you, as Ben did with so many people.

Psalm 138:3: "In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul."