Urgent Eye Care Needed for Keandra & Kiara

Hello, my name is Steven Manios and with my good friends Steven and his wife, Carolyn, we are raising funds for Keandra and Kiara, two sisters from Jamaica who are in need of different eye procedures.

Keandra and Kiara have a devastating hereditary disease called Keratoconus. Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease where the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, thins and bulges out, resembling a cone shape. This shape change distorts vision, making it blurry or distorted. If left untreated it will cause a person to go blind. We are reaching out to ask for help in raising funds for the corrective and preventive procedures that will help these two sisters restore and maintain their vision. I am close with the family and have known them for five years, while Steve and Carolyn have known them for over a year now and they are very near and dear to our hearts.

Keandra is 18 and was misdiagnosed at a young age because her mother could not afford to take her to a proper eye doctor. Keandra is legally blind and requires her mother with her when she goes out of her home. She had to stop going to school and rarely leaves her home due to this. In mid July this year she will be undergoing a Corneal cross-linking procedure. Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is a surgical procedure that strengthens the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, by creating new bonds between collagen fibers using UV light and riboflavin drops. It's primarily used to slow down or stop the progression of keratoconus. If this procedure works Keandra will be able to live a somewhat normal life and possibly return to school. Keandra will receive scleral contacts which are special made for people with Keratoconus which generally cost a lot more than the average contact would and will need to be replaced every one to three years. As this is hereditary, Kiara who is only 6, is starting to show the same symptoms her sister once had. She will also need treatment for her eyes to help slow down the disease and maintain her vision.

Both girls live with their mother, Shelly, in Port Antonio, Jamaica and will need to be flown to Florida to receive these treatments. The donations made will go towards multiple flights, Keandra's surgery, Kiara's treatments, and any follow ups for medications, glasses and the scleral contacts that Keandra will need. Any size donation is welcome and we would love to answer any questions if you have any! Keandra and Kiara are two very sweet girls with their whole lives ahead of them and we would love your help to make that a little brighter. Thank you for reading.

Any money donated will be put into a trust managed by Steven and his wife Carolyn.