Whether it’s hiking the rainy hills of Kauai, sleeping over the water in Bora Bora bungalows, exploring inside Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, or looking over the picturesque Matterhorn, there are so many wonderful sights to see in the world.
Unfortunately, there is more than the cost of plane tickets preventing some of us from seeing these sights. Rare disorders and diseases can rob people of their ability to see clearly.
Stargardt disease is just one.
According to NTD, Gene Purdie was born with this rare eye disease. However, like most people with Stargardt, Gene didn’t start losing his vision until he reached adolescence. His central vision slowly blurred to the point of almost complete incomprehensibility. His peripheral vision is still intact, which means he cannot look directly at anything.
What vision he retains allows him to accomplish most daily functions, such as his favorite activity—cooking. Since losing most of his sight, he has managed to fall in love and get married. Not only that, he became a father as well.
Gene’s wife, Joy, was watching the Rachael Ray Show when she saw a woman, living with Stargardt, use specially designed electronic glasses to see her sister for the first time in five years. Inspired, Joy wrote a letter to the show asking for help with allowing Gene to see herself and their son for the first time.
A little while later, the young family was invited on the show. When Gene first saw his wife, he uttered two words before visibly showing his emotions, “She’s pretty.”
As if Rachael’s show had not done enough, eSight, the company the developed the electronic glasses, donated a set of the glasses to Gene and his family.
Read more about Gene’s new sight by clicking here.
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