What would you do if you knew your little girl was going blind? For Steve and Christine Myers, from Ohio in the US, it was to create Lizzy’s “visual bucket list” for their daughter, currently facing this reality.
Five-year-old Lizzy Myers has a condition so rare that it only affects four in 100,000 babies. Usher Syndrome type II means it is a certainty that Lizzy will go blind, with her dad saying there’s probably a five to seven year window before her vision starts fading.
Rather than dwelling on the inevitable, the family has decided to show Lizzy the beauty of the world, making the most of her ability to see now. As her night vision will deteriorate first they are getting Lizzy out at night to catch lightening bugs or view the night sky.
This way they hope Lizzy will be able to retain these memories for the future. So far Lizzy has had the opportunity to visit an Observatory to view the moon through the Big Blue telescope.
Next on the agenda are plans to witness the wonders of the world, including Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park and The Northern Lights.
The realisation that Lizzy was going blind came about after she was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss last year. The family was reticent about further testing, but after being encouraged to do so by their medical team, they complied.
Now Lizzy’s parents want other people to get tested, as had they resisted they would have missed out on the window to make the most of Lizzy’s sight.
