Ethan's Last Sites Before Blindness
Donation protected
Ethan’s eyesight will eventually be gone due to retinitis pigmentosa for which there is no cure.
Imagine you are 15 years old, a freshman in high school, an athlete and have your driver’s learning permit. Everything is starting to unfold in front of you, pointing to different directions your life may take as you continue to mature into a young man.
Now, imagine you’re at a routine eye exam and the doctor is saying he sees concerning images of your retina. You wait a couple weeks to see a retinal specialist where it is confirmed, “you have retinitis pigmentosa”.
This is Ethan’s story. At 15 Ethan is already legally blind and will continue to lose his eyesight until he can no longer see. He already cannot see in low light, and has no peripheral vision. His eyes see 10% of what normal eyes see (ie. hold a small funnel up to your eye, this is what he sees). He never had the chance to drive without supervision and unfortunately will never drive again. No more football which he’s played since he was 6 years old. He’ll be very limited snowboarding, a new sport he was taking up with his older brother.
Now he will learn to walk with a cane, “read” with his fingers, and eventually have a Guide Dog lead him 24/7.
Amazingly, in all this Ethan keeps a positive attitude. He still has a keen sense of humor and continues to be an encouragement to others.
When asked by friends what he’d really like to SEE before he completely loses his eyesight, Ethan mentioned visiting World War 2 sites in Europe. Ethan has always loved history since he was a young boy, especially WWII history, and specifically tanks. Ethan can name any tank used by any country in WWII and has known them since he was little. It would be a dream come true for him, and time is of the essence.
Will you please consider helping get Ethan and his family to Europe in summer 2019? This will be a trip of a lifetime for Ethan and his parents as they watch Ethan see these amazing moments of history before he is not able to anymore.
Thank you so much! The family would truly appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..."
- Ephesians 1:18
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing..."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christmay dwell in me."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Full disclosure:
I, Don Gerber, have created this page on behalf of the beneficiaries: my sister, Laura Nichols, and her son, my nephew, Ethan Nichols.
Imagine you are 15 years old, a freshman in high school, an athlete and have your driver’s learning permit. Everything is starting to unfold in front of you, pointing to different directions your life may take as you continue to mature into a young man.
Now, imagine you’re at a routine eye exam and the doctor is saying he sees concerning images of your retina. You wait a couple weeks to see a retinal specialist where it is confirmed, “you have retinitis pigmentosa”.
This is Ethan’s story. At 15 Ethan is already legally blind and will continue to lose his eyesight until he can no longer see. He already cannot see in low light, and has no peripheral vision. His eyes see 10% of what normal eyes see (ie. hold a small funnel up to your eye, this is what he sees). He never had the chance to drive without supervision and unfortunately will never drive again. No more football which he’s played since he was 6 years old. He’ll be very limited snowboarding, a new sport he was taking up with his older brother.
Now he will learn to walk with a cane, “read” with his fingers, and eventually have a Guide Dog lead him 24/7.
Amazingly, in all this Ethan keeps a positive attitude. He still has a keen sense of humor and continues to be an encouragement to others.
When asked by friends what he’d really like to SEE before he completely loses his eyesight, Ethan mentioned visiting World War 2 sites in Europe. Ethan has always loved history since he was a young boy, especially WWII history, and specifically tanks. Ethan can name any tank used by any country in WWII and has known them since he was little. It would be a dream come true for him, and time is of the essence.
Will you please consider helping get Ethan and his family to Europe in summer 2019? This will be a trip of a lifetime for Ethan and his parents as they watch Ethan see these amazing moments of history before he is not able to anymore.
Thank you so much! The family would truly appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..."
- Ephesians 1:18
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing..."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christmay dwell in me."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Full disclosure:
I, Don Gerber, have created this page on behalf of the beneficiaries: my sister, Laura Nichols, and her son, my nephew, Ethan Nichols.
Organizer and beneficiary
Don Gerber
Organizer
Boise, ID
Laura Nichols
Beneficiary
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