A Horserace Hero With A Race All His Own

This post was written by CBS News producer Jack Renaud.

I shudder when I recall what I was like at 15 years old – and not just at my erupting pimples. My parents assure that I was the quintessentially snarky, smart-alecky, obnoxious American teenage boy.

Maybe that's why I was so impressed with Joshua Desormeaux. He's the son of Big Brown's jockey Kent Desormeaux, but more importantly he's the brother of 9-year-old Jacob, whom we profile on tonight's CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

(CBS)

Jacob was born with a condition called Usher Syndrome, leaving him profoundly deaf and with the likelihood that he will be blind by adulthood.

This week, you'll probably read and hear a lot of Jacob, a sweet kid who is handling his condition with unbridled precociousness.

But you might not hear about Josh, which is a shame, because he's also a remarkable young man. He is Jacob's protector, occasional interpreter and full-time hero.

(CBS)

I got to meet the boys at the Mets game Sunday, where their dad was throwing the first pitch. It was a crazy, cacophonous scene, one that could have easily been upsetting to little Jacob. But Josh, mature beyond his years, stayed Velcro-ed to his kid brother's side, introducing him to ballplayers, explaining what was happening and generally keeping his arm around Jacob.

His dad may win the Triple Crown this weekend, but there is already a real winner in the Desormeaux household.

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