GoFundMe raising funds for blind brothers from Selkirk, Man.
Special eSight glasses could let boy, 10, see his mom’s face for the first time
A GoFundMe page is raising money for two blind brothers from Selkirk, Man. and if successful could give one of the boys the ability to see his mom's face in detail — something he's never been able to do before.
Benny and Ashton Francey are living with a rare disease called Leber congenital amaurosis.
The disease, passed down from the boy's parents whose vision is not affected, means Benny, 10, is legally blind.
"Right now he can see silhouettes and colours and movements ... shapes. But he doesn't see detail, so he doesn't know what his mom's face looks like. He doesn't know the detail of a flower and things like that," said Amanda Vitt, the boy's aunt.
The boy's eyes also start to hurt if he's been outside for too long. "My eye will start to see like white flashes, and my eyes will start hurting," Benny said.
Ashton, 8, who also has autism, has almost no vision at all. He relies on sound to communicate.
But Benny's vision might be able to drastically improved if he's able to get special eSight glasses from Toronto. The glasses have a camera that captures and then displays video on miniature, high-definition screens close to the eyes.
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Vitt started the GoFundMe on July 13 with a goal of raising $25,000. As of Friday morning, the page had already raised $13,475.
Vitt said donations have poured in from locals in Selkirk and strangers online.
"It's actually been a really emotional experience for our families because the generosity has been overwhelming," said Vitt.
"We've had people stop us in stores ... and they're people that don't have much themselves but are still willing to give."
Vitt said the $25,000 will pay for the glasses which cost $15,000 US and a trip to Toronto to get them. The remaining $5,000 will be put toward horseback riding lessons, which the family uses as therapy for Ashton.
Benny, who loves Harry Potter and has to watch the screen up close to see even just a sketch of the characters, said he's excited about the possibility of seeing better.
"I think that would be nice," he said.