Help Pegene Save Her Remaining Sight and Access a Life-Changing Treatment

My name is Pegene Watts, and I am a 66-year-old educator and professor of Journalism at Gannon University. I’ve spent more than 40 years teaching, working with young people, raising a family, and contributing to my community. I am also a wife, mother, and grandmother.

I was born with retinitis pigmentosa – RHO (RP), a degenerative retinal disease that has slowly taken my vision since childhood. I became legally blind at 19, a young mother at 20, and later a single parent raising two children while juggling work, school, and life with a visual disability. Despite tremendous challenges, I’ve always found ways to navigate the world and remain independent. I built a career in teaching, raised my children, and surrounded myself with a life full of purpose.

But RP never stops. It always continues to narrow the world around you. Today, I have very little usable vision left, and I am approaching the stage where I may lose the last fragments of sight that help me move through the world safely, teach my students, and see the faces of my grandchildren. The fear of complete blindness is something I try to stay strong about—but late at night, it terrifies me.

A New Hope: OCU400

Last year, for the first time in my life, I found real hope.

I learned about a groundbreaking clinical trial for RP called OCU400, developed by Ocugen. In earlier phases, this treatment has shown extraordinary success—100% of patients experienced halted retinal degeneration or actual improvement in sight. For someone told their whole life that “there is no cure,” this was the first possibility of a different future.

My daughter—who also inherited RP—and I passed preliminary screenings and qualified for Phase 3 of the study. We were days away from our final appointments when we received devastating news: the trial had filled all federally funded slots. The remaining participants can only join as patient-paying participants, which the FDA has approved.

The cost is $40,000 for treatment in both eyes.

Why I’m Asking for Help

I work full-time. My husband, who is also visually impaired, is retired on disability. We live simply and independently, but we do not have access to $40,000—especially not in the timeframe dictated by the rapid progression of my disease.

OCU400 is expected to move toward final FDA approval, but insurance coverage may take years—time I simply do not have. My vision is deteriorating quickly, and this treatment may be my last chance to stop or reverse the damage before complete blindness.

I want to continue teaching.

I want to remain independent and safe.

I want to see my grandchildren’s faces as they grow.

I want to see the moon, the world around me, and the people I love.

What Your Support Means

Your donation—of any size—brings me one step closer to:

• Preserving the little vision I have left

• Possibly restoring some sight

• Continuing my career and independence

• Experiencing life visually for as long as I can

This treatment represents hope, not just for me but for countless RP patients waiting for a breakthrough.

Thank You

Thank you for reading my story and considering supporting my chance at sight. Your kindness means more than I can express.

With gratitude,

Pegene Watts