Son of Derby Winner Jockey Has Bilateral CI's

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Drew's Dad

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If you watched the Kentucky Derby today you may have noticed Jockey Kent Desormeaux's son Jake with his bilateral Advanced Bionics CI's. Evidently he was born deaf in 1999. Here is an article.

Interestingly, his father (the jockey) lost his hearing in his right ear after a racing accident in 1992.

Thought I'd share.
 
Yes I saw him.. hugs with mom!! :cool:! :D :D

I didn't know about his dad too!!

Thanks for share post here !!! :):)
 
I saw it too. I got so excited I forgot that the horse I had in the Derby pool finished 12th!
 
That's interesting! Thank you for sharing us about your son Drew. I want to know are you deaf or hearing?

Drew's Dad said:
Unfortunately, I just found out that Jake has Usher's Syndrome (recently diagnosed). I hope that he experiences minimal effects if at all possible.

Here's a link to my post about Big Brown Jockey Kent Desormeaux and his son Jake, which has links to other articles and the NBC Pre-Race Video segment on his family.
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If he has Usher's then its good that he got bilateral implants. The USA Today article sucked, but then again, that's not a surprise. USA Today in general SUCKS.
 
I had been out and about doing errands, including washing my van and got back as the last two horses were led in. I saw the boy and thought, "Those are the biggest CI's I've ever seen!" I commend his mother, though excited, for not ripping them out of his ears when she embraced him. That was class!

But, I was also saddened to hear about the filly Eight Belles. So sad to hear that she was put down immediately, despite being able to hear all the cheering, of which I'm sure she was feeling defeated. I would like to see an investigation into why she was allowed out to race and what the pre-race veterinary report on her said. There is NO WAY the owners, trainers and the jockey could not have known about this. I'm sorry, I think they have some explaining to do. At least Eight Belles doesn't have to suffer from neglect anymore and that the horse angel came to get her. :angel:

I'm glad Big Brown got the win, as I heard on the radio the story behind this horse, but I am not happy with the death of Eight Belles. Those who bet on her and felt bad because they lost should be ashamed of themselves.

As for the sticks to beat the horse to make them run faster, I'd like to see that abolished from racing.
 
Hmm, I don't think Eight Belles would've been able to finish second if there was a pre-race problem. It looked like a mis-step when slowing after the race, and that the fall caused both fractures. For whatever reason, breaking those thin legs is considered a fatal injury in thoroughbreds.

I was very sad to see that happen as well, though.
 
Isn't that amazing? And thank goodness he has the CI's to fall back on in case Ushers takes his sight. I have a friend from college, Liz Stone, who got a CI for that very reason. I believe her brother also has Ushers and received a CI as well.

I missed the race (was out working) and was just horrified when my Dad had told me what happened to Eight Belles. Made me think of the breakdown of Go For Wand at the 1990 Breeder's Cup, which has always stuck in my mind, as I actually had bet on her to win. May Eight Belles rest in peace, and run forever in green pastures.
 
I don't believe in horse betting and perceive that as the biggest problem in this picture, neecy. I hope the people responsible for the neglect of Eight Belles are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that fines are imposed on Churchill Downs for this.

For this horse to be put down today, are we, as viewers, part of the problem or part of the solution? I have never bet anything on any horse race, dog race or car race, as I don't see the sense in it. This is the last horse race I will ever watch.
 
pek1 said:
I don't believe in horse betting and perceive that as the biggest problem in this picture, neecy. I hope the people responsible for the neglect of Eight Belles are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that fines are imposed on Churchill Downs for this.

For this horse to be put down today, are we, as viewers, part of the problem or part of the solution? I have never bet anything on any horse race, dog race or car race, as I don't see the sense in it. This is the last horse race I will ever watch.
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Pek1, I think we'll have to agree to disagree here, and if you want to discuss why, I'd be glad to in PM, but don't want to derail this thread. Sorry for going off-topic, Drew's Dad.
 
On the other hand, I thought that Ushers just caused tunnel vision? But its great that this generation of Ushers kids has CIs as a backup.
 
deafdyke said:
On the other hand, I thought that Ushers just caused tunnel vision? But its great that this generation of Ushers kids has CIs as a backup.
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You can go completely blind from it depending on the type of Usher's syndrome you have and yes, tunnel vision is a syntom of Usher's. That vision can go from 100% and tunnels down to no vision at all over the years. I know two sisters with that and I think they're prolly completely blind now. I don't think a CI would have helped them as adults as it's apparent they were born with profound hearing losses.
 
deafskeptic said:
I don't think a CI would have helped them as adults as it's apparent they were born with profound hearing losses.
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It doesn't matter! CI can help adult if they born in hearing loss and usher syndrome. You need to check it out on CI user ASL vlog. I don't believe about deaf people to try make usher syndrome panic. That's wrong! I know a lot about usher syndrome, Retina and Retinitis pigmentosa. This is new technology for them to get a stem cell or bionic. Many deaf adult people decide to get CI because they don't want to get blind in the future.
 
Pinky678 said:
It doesn't matter! CI can help adult if they born in hearing loss and usher syndrome. You need to check it out on CI user ASL vlog. I don't believe about deaf people to try make usher syndrome panic. That's wrong! I know a lot about usher syndrome, Retina and Retinitis pigmentosa. This is new technology for them to get a stem cell or bionic. Many deaf adult people decide to get CI because they don't want to get blind in the future.
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The reason why I say that is because neither of the sisters have ever worn hearing aids so sounds are likely to have little meaning to them. They are likely to be in the early and mid 40s by now. I think I should have made that clear in an earlier post.

Sighted deaf have given up CIs if they never heard a sound prior to getting CIs. There are success to be sure but they're not as common as those who benefitted from HAs in the past.

I wouldn't say that for all deafblind. I can think of two deafblind right here on this forum who benefitted greatly from implants.
 
There are 3 types of Usher's syndrome (Type I, II and III) which cause hearing and vision loss (night blindness and tunnel vision).

Type I and Type II are the most common in the U.S.

Type I Usher's is present at birth and causes a child to receive little or no benefit from hearing aids. RP (retinitis pigmentosa) begins by the age of 10.

Children with Type II Usher's syndrome are born with a moderate to severe hearing loss and receive benefit from hearing aids with RP beginning during the teen years.

Children with Usher's Type III are born with normal hearing, but develop progressive hearing loss later in life (i.e. require hearing aids by their teens or 30's or 40's). Hearing and vision continue to worsen over time, but the rate at which this occurs varies from person to person. Night blindness usually begins during the pre-teen/teen years.
 
I found it so interesting. I watched the video and was suprised the CI stayed on.

Hear Again thanks for explaining Usher's. I really know nothing about it. How common is it?
 
vallee said:
Hear Again thanks for explaining Usher's. I really know nothing about it. How common is it?
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Valee,

You're welcome. :) From what I've read, about 3 to 6% of all children who are deaf and another 3 to 6% of children who are hard of hearing have Ushers. In the U.S. about every 4 babies in 100,000 births have Ushers.
 
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