“Sean was born without eyes. Every day Melissa and I worry about his future. He wants to be more independent now, which is scary for me. Without the right support, we wouldn’t know how to help him. We’d just be lost.” Darren, dad to Sean, 8.
Children who are blind face huge challenges in life – and so do their families. Please donate today so families like Sean’s get the support they need.
For a child who is blind to grow into a capable, active adult requires incredibly intensive, specialised, ongoing support.
Sean has a rare genetic condition, anophthalmia, which means he was born without eyes.
“My wife, Melissa, had an ultrasound scan half-way through her pregnancy with Sean and it didn’t pick up on reflections from the baby’s eyes. Our doctor told us that our baby was developing without eyes - it was a complete shock.
Once Sean was born, Darren says he quickly realised just how much intensive support Sean would need.
“You feel like you have to be an expert in how to help your child. As a parent, that’s very daunting. I felt really lost – I didn’t know what I needed to do to help Sean, or where to turn for help.”
Please donate today and ensure families like Sean’s can access services that will help their children to learn everyday living skills.
Mikayla, Sean’s occupational therapist, has begun teaching Sean self-care skills:
“I designed a tailored program to help Sean develop his fine and gross motor skills. Only after he developed good control of his muscles were we able to start self-care skills like dressing and feeding himself.”
Mikayla not only teaches Sean, but shows his family the best ways to assist him to carry out these daily living skills as independently as possible.
Physiotherapist Louise has worked with Sean nearly his entire life. She provides a program that focuses on developing his balance, posture, fitness and mobility skills.
Sean just wants to do what his mates are doing. So Louise gives him and his teachers strategies so that he can be involved in sport at school. Darren says that this one-on-one approach at Vision Australia has made a huge difference in his entire family’s life.
“Ever since Sean was three months old, Vision Australia has been there for our family. Without them, we don't think we could keep up with his growing needs. The support they provide is crucial to us.”
Please donate before June 30 to give children like Sean and their families the expert support they desperately need.
Donations can be made securely online here, or by calling 1800 42 20 77. Thank you, for making a lasting difference in the lives of children like Sean.