Imagine you awoke this morning with thick pieces of scotch-tape permanently adhered to each of your eyeballs. It’s cloudy. It’s blurry. At times, it’s painful. Over the years, more layers of tape are applied and you’re able to see less and less. This is probably only a guess of what it is like to be Legally Blind and only a fraction of the reality for those who live it. Many of them know that one day, it may all go dark. For Nicole, one of her eyes is pretty much, already there.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED ALREADY!

For Nicole’s other or “good eye”, everything is very bright. At the same time, most everything is indistinguishable. She can’t drive. She is unable to ride a bike independently. Watching a football game on TV or in-person isn’t part of any Sunday routine for her. She never, “runs to the store quick”. Have you ever thought of how losing 95% of your vision might change your life?

MUCH APPRECIATION TO EVERYONE WHO HAS FORWARDED OR SHARED THIS STORY!

Nicole is going to get some of that “tape” removed. She is having an Iris Implant and a Lens Transplant procedure at the Cincinnati Eye Institute in just a couple of weeks! We are trying to help Nicole with significant medical and out-of-network expenses. This surgery will change Nicole’s life! Thank you for getting behind her!

WE FEEL BLESSED BY SUCH AN OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT.

Of the 5 senses, Nicole has about 4.1. With this surgery, and with a clear lens, that number can increase. By no means will this “restore” her vision but she will have an eye that has a chance of improvement instead of further deterioration. Her surgeon is one of only a few that perform this type of procedure and he is very familiar with Nicole and her specific condition.

AND….for the first time, Nicole will have an eye with Color! She looked at photograph samples of hundreds of iris colors and basically picked out a new eye! The Iris was made specifically for Nicole in Germany. Quite amazing!

WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE’S COMPASSION, GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT! THANK YOU!!

As it pertains to her own vision, this surgery is extremely important to Nicole, no doubt! Please know that it is also important to her as it pertains to the advancement of eye care; the potential for improvement for others who have vision-loss, the continued advancement of Stem-Cell Transplants and the potential for Corneal Transplants. These are real possibilities for Nicole and many others.

Nicole was born with a rare eye condition called Aniridia and has been legally blind her entire life. Aniridia is the absence of the Iris (the “color” part of the eye). The lack of irises makes it difficult for Nicole's eyes to regulate light making her extremely sensitive to light. Aniridia frequently leads to the underdevelopment of the rest of the eye's anatomy. Having Aniridia often means having other conditions including Glaucoma, Cataracts and Corneal Keratopathy (clouding); Nicole has all of these.

 

Please consider donating. Also consider going in with others and making a group donation! $5-10 from a handful of friends? If you would, please also share this on your wall or in your feed and via text to some friends or via email to some colleagues. Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness! Every little bit helps.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME IN READING AND IN SHARING THIS. MANY MANY THANKS!