Choroideremia is a disorder that progressively causes you to lose your sight. There is no cure.
According to Pinstriped Prospects earlier this year, Markie DeVoe is a 12-year-old living with the choroideremia diagnosis. Right now it’s difficult for him to see when its dark outside, and unless a cure is discovered in the near future, he will eventually go blind.
Markie has not let this news phase him.
He lives every day in good spirits, taking advantage of every moment he has with good eyesight. He absolutely loves baseball and has been going to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders games for years. He himself also plays in little league.
Baseball players in Markie’s favorite teams eventually heard of his condition, and many of them developed friendships with their most loyal fan. Markie always sits ready to catch a stray ball, and most of the time, he doesn’t even keep them himself but gives them away to a young fan. After the team plays, he gets many hugs and high fives from the members who have become family.
Markie’s family has put in lots of time and effort into a fundraising campaign for choroideremia, called “Angels For Mark.” They know that a cure would change their son’s life, and it has potential to come in his lifetime.
The support that the family has received from the baseball players has enhanced their ability to spread the word.
Awareness is such a big part of getting contributions and such a big part of research. Knowing this, Mason Williams, a Yankees player is even endorsing a tshirt for them to sell as a fundraiser. Other players attended the fundraising event they held back in March, and others still show their support simply by the friendship they give to Markie.
What’s so amazing is that the players say it’s not them who have helped Markie, but Markie who has helped them. He’s shown them what it means to preserve in the face of challenges, how to remain positive, and how to share joy with all he encounters.
Read more of Markie’s story on the Pinstriped Prospects! To donate to the Choroideremia Research Foundation, click here!
