Deaf and almost blind Jeff moves and inspires with song
He was born deaf. And he will become blind as well. Jeff Horsten sings a self-written song about his restrictions on YouTube. The 23 years old man from Waspik, the Netherlands, suffers from Usher Syndrome, a very rare disorder. Still, Jeff surprises the people around him with his laughter, his creativity and his optimism. ‘I want to inspire people. I do not see myself as a person with restrictions. I am just Jeff.’‘I want to show other people suffering from Usher Syndrome that they are not alone’
The film of his song ‘Welkom in mijn wereldje’ [Welcome to my small world] has been watched thousands of times and dozens of people have shared it on Facebook. The film was put on-line a couple of weeks ago. ‘Tears’, ‘respect’ and ‘goosebumps’ are responses to the touching song. ‘I want to show other people suffering from Usher Syndrome that they are not alone’, says Jeff.
He sings the song together with singer Jorien Habing. The text is about the ‘tunnel’, as the man from Waspik experiences his life. It refers to his deafness and poor eyesight: Jeff looks through two holes of half a centimetre in diameter. ‘People usually can see 180 degrees.’
When Jeff looks at someone, he must move along his head. His eyesight is blurred: now 50 to 60 percent. Jeff will eventually become blind. With the help of his friend, Joep Rijk, Jeff had the song recorded in the Swamp studio in Raamsdonk. The idea came up in rehabilitation centre Het Loo Erf in Apeldoorn, where Jeff has spent nine months by now.
‘It was a kind of game to me. Suddenly all emotions are lost.’
Music
He hated music for years, just because he could not hear it. “One moment I heard Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. I managed to listen to the rhythm. Later I started to experiment with music. I tasted it and I likes it. I sometimes take a guitar and play a little. However, it remains difficult because I cannot listen well myself.’
Jeff has plenty of texts. He writes a lot. ‘Writing is my way of release. It provides a means to express myself. As a teenager I often picked up the pen. It was a kind of game to me. Suddenly all emotions are lost.’
Source: Algemeen Dagblad
