This wish is for my son, Stephen. He's 13 and has Stargardt's, a degenerative eye disease. The rate of degeneration often increases when a child reaches puberty, and that is what has happened to my son. He retains very little vision and doctors can no longer write a prescription for glasses that will allow him to see better. He's learning Braille and how to use his white cane for mobility with his vision specialist at school.

Stephen desperately wants an iPad so his vision specialist can put his homework and software for the blind on it. He had a six-year-old laptop, but it died and we can't even afford a used one. He can’t see well enough to read, but an iPad would allow him to hear the lessons so he can do his schoolwork verbally.

My son's blindness isolates him from others and prevents him from doing things with other kids his age. We've tried to let him have as many different experiences as possible before his sight is completely gone. He's had the joy of simple things, like ice skating and canoeing, but he's now being treated for depression due to his loss of vision.

We live in a rural area and the laptop also provided him with a link to the outside world so he didn't feel so lonely. We can't stop the progression of the disease, and the time is fast approaching when my son won't be able to do many of the things others take for granted, but at least he'll have memories. An iPad would allow him to keep up in school and prevent him from feeling so alone.

Wish Info

• Posted: Feb 29, 2012 4:05 am
  Granted: Aug 17, 2012

• Member: csisson
• Member Since: Dec 26, 2007
• Hero: 3 times
• Wishes Granted: 1 time

• Raised: $0.00 Goal: $699.00
• 

   

• City: Pullman
• State: Michigan
• Country: United States

• Type: Need
• Wish is for: Teen
• Category: Computers & Electronics
• Cause: Vision Disability

• Views: 744
• Comments: 14
• Follows: 2