Help Zachariah Keep His Eye!
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Hi, my name is Lupita and I started this fund for my son Zachariah.
Zachariah has been diagnosed with many issues that affect his vision. He is unable to play with his two brothers and sister. All he wants is to play with them but he is limited on what he can do. I sometimes catch him trying to see what his brothers are doing when they are playing and he gets frustrated because he cannot see them properly. He also has trouble learning in school because he cannot see the letters, shapes, Etc. This leaves him feeling left out all the time. Zachariah always has to tilt his head to the side to see through the corner of his eyes. Zachariah is unable to enjoy the simple act of watching television. But with your help we can possibly give him the chance to be a normal kid again.
Zachariah was born with an abnormal optic nerve which has lead him to be legally blind in his right eye with only peripheral vision. He also has nystagmus in both eyes, which makes it hard for him to focus on an object. For the past 2 years we have had to travel out of town to be seen by multiple doctors to control cataracts in his right eye, a cyst that is attached to his lens, and a possibility for a retinal detachment.
Zachariah has been seeing his pediatric opthamologist every 6 months to monitor the cyst on the lens. This past visit in February is when the doctor noticed the cyst getting larger and blocking what little vision he had left. So we were referred to a retinal specialist for surgery. That is when the specialist noticed an even bigger problem, Zachariah's retina had become detached. He explained that the retina detachment has started making his eye decrease in size and if not treated with surgery, he would lose his eye forever. He then referred us to a different doctor who specializes in children his age who have retinal detachments. When zachariah was seen by the retinal specialist, he recommended surgery for the reattachment of the retina and explained that the procedure is long and difficult but doable. The doctor needs to separate the retina and the proteins attched to the retina without damaging the brain tissue nor the proteins. (The protein in the eye is hard as a child and softens as an adult.) Since he is only 2, the protein in his eye is still hard which requires a injection of Ocriplasmin Jetrea to help soften the protein so it is easier to remove without damaging the retina or the protein.
The surgery success rate without the the injection is about 10% but if we can get the injection it will increase the chances for success to 45%-50%. The only problem is that the injection Ocriplasmin Jetrea is not covered by our insurance which means we need to pay for the injection in full. The cost for the injection is $4000.
Please help us raise the money for the injection so Zachariah will have a better success rate at keeping his eye.
Zachariah has been diagnosed with many issues that affect his vision. He is unable to play with his two brothers and sister. All he wants is to play with them but he is limited on what he can do. I sometimes catch him trying to see what his brothers are doing when they are playing and he gets frustrated because he cannot see them properly. He also has trouble learning in school because he cannot see the letters, shapes, Etc. This leaves him feeling left out all the time. Zachariah always has to tilt his head to the side to see through the corner of his eyes. Zachariah is unable to enjoy the simple act of watching television. But with your help we can possibly give him the chance to be a normal kid again.
Zachariah was born with an abnormal optic nerve which has lead him to be legally blind in his right eye with only peripheral vision. He also has nystagmus in both eyes, which makes it hard for him to focus on an object. For the past 2 years we have had to travel out of town to be seen by multiple doctors to control cataracts in his right eye, a cyst that is attached to his lens, and a possibility for a retinal detachment.
Zachariah has been seeing his pediatric opthamologist every 6 months to monitor the cyst on the lens. This past visit in February is when the doctor noticed the cyst getting larger and blocking what little vision he had left. So we were referred to a retinal specialist for surgery. That is when the specialist noticed an even bigger problem, Zachariah's retina had become detached. He explained that the retina detachment has started making his eye decrease in size and if not treated with surgery, he would lose his eye forever. He then referred us to a different doctor who specializes in children his age who have retinal detachments. When zachariah was seen by the retinal specialist, he recommended surgery for the reattachment of the retina and explained that the procedure is long and difficult but doable. The doctor needs to separate the retina and the proteins attched to the retina without damaging the brain tissue nor the proteins. (The protein in the eye is hard as a child and softens as an adult.) Since he is only 2, the protein in his eye is still hard which requires a injection of Ocriplasmin Jetrea to help soften the protein so it is easier to remove without damaging the retina or the protein.
The surgery success rate without the the injection is about 10% but if we can get the injection it will increase the chances for success to 45%-50%. The only problem is that the injection Ocriplasmin Jetrea is not covered by our insurance which means we need to pay for the injection in full. The cost for the injection is $4000.
Please help us raise the money for the injection so Zachariah will have a better success rate at keeping his eye.
Organizer
Lupita Cantu
Organizer
Laredo, TX
