People always say family is the most important thing. Although my family loves each other very much, we still fight endlessly, piss each other off, and have a lot to work on. One of many things that makes me extremely proud of my family is the constant support of one another. No matter what happens to one of us, or what goes on in our lives, we stand behind one another, just like we will always stand behind my sister.
My younger sister was diagnosed with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, LCA for short, at a very young age. LCA is a very rare retinal degenerative disease that my sister has had since birth. Basically, this means that she has very little to no vision. You can imagine the difficulties she faces in day to day situations... But if you think that stops her from being awesome, think again.
My sister is three years younger than me, but is wise beyond her years. Not only does she live a normal life despite her setbacks, she excels. She is now 16 years old and already knows how to play three instruments, has a room full of ribbons from horse shows she’s competed in, published a book, and has met multiple famous people, just to name a few of her endless accomplishments... on top of facing the same things we do during day to day life without eye sight.
Although I might be older, I look up to her more than she will ever know.
The summer before my senior year of high school, my sister came up with an awesome idea. She created “Eye Believe In A Cure” wristbands to raise money to fund research in order to find a cure for LCA. These wristbands would be given to anyone willing to donate two dollars in order to find a cure for her blindness. My family and I supported her 100 percent with her idea. We had hundreds of blue wristbands made and sent to our house. After social media posts from almost every person in my family, more people than we even had imagined had reached out to us, wanting to donate. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of family, and the unbelievable life my younger sister lives.
It was amazing, and still amazes me today, how many people were willing to donate, and wanted to be a part of something so close to my family. My sister touched the lives of so many people, and so many people touched our lives by donating, even such a small amount, to a cause that my family holds so near and dear to our hearts.
To this day, we have raised over a thousand dollars (and counting). This money is all being sent to Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation to help find a cure for LCA.
I’ve worn my blue wristband everyday for almost two years now, remembering that even a small idea can make a big difference, and that anything is possible with the support of your family.
Eye Believe In A Cure.
