An incredible video has been circulating on the internet featuring two men playing with cardboard at a football match in Bogotá, Columbia. At first, it’s hard to understand exactly what they’re doing, but upon proper inspection, it turns out that interpreter Cesar Deza is explaining the game to his best friend Jose Richard.
Jose suffers from a genetic condition called Usher Syndrome, which severely damages hearing and sight, effectively leaving those suffering from the disease deaf and blind. The blindness is caused by an eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. This leads to reduced sight as they grow older and ending in blindness. The hearing loss comes from an issue with the inner ear and or/auditory nerve. People with Usher Syndrome typically become deaf very early in life. The condition is incredibly rare- only about 5 in 100,000 people have this syndrome.
The two use a mini cardboard version of the soccer field to show Jose exactly what’s happening on the real-life field. It’s even painted green and looks similar to a real field.
In the video, it is amazing to see how happy the two men are. As Cesar excitedly displays to Jose a play by play of the events happening before him, Jose is able to interact with the world and return to his love of soccer. It’s another way to share an event together and grow their partnership even more.
It’s a beautiful moment that eloquently displays the power of friendship through adversity. Jose has been blind since about 15 years of age, which means that he grew up with a love of Columbia’s soccers team, and he’s able to relive some of his favorite activities with the help of his best friend. Plus, they look like they’re having so much fun spending time together at the event, and their energy together is absolutely amazing!
After the game, Jose explained- “There was no one to interpret a football match to me. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Cesar came with me to the stadium for the first time.”
This video is a little beacon of light during these tough times. They prove that despite everything, there really are som good people still left in this world! We hope that Cesar and Jose can watch many more soccer games together and keep enjoying the beloved sport in their special way.
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