14 DAY TRIAL // A 12-year-old boy from New Zealand was diagnosed with a rare disease which will cause him to lose his eyesight. Knowing that one day he will be blind, the boy decided to issue a bucket list of things to do and places to see before that happens.
Louis Corbett suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive disorder that eventually deteriorates eyesight over the course of decades. Although the disease is extremely rare, it is also hereditary. Two of his older brothers also suffer from the same condition and will also lose their ability to see.
“Last year was a hard one for poor Louie. That’s when he learned that his case was accelerated,” mother Catherine Corbett said, as reported by Daily Mail.
The family, from Auckland, decided to embark on an international trip to see the world's most “beautiful images.” In his bucket list, Louie mentioned places like the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building and Google headquarters in California.
However, one of Louis' biggest dreams before losing his sight is to see the Boston Celtics, his favorite basketball team. But with Louis' eyesight fading so rapidly, by 50% during the past year alone, the trip needed to happen soon.
So, his friends and Facebook fans have joined forces to help the boy see the American basketball team before he goes blind.
“This trip is to fill his 'visual database' with colours, textures, shapes, sights and sunsets. We also want to equip him with the confidence and resilience to become a strong, confident young man who knows no limits,” it is said on the Give a Little fundraising page.
Other people also stepped in to help Louie. The CEO of Boston-based software firm Ceiba Solutions, Warren Casey, gave the Corbetts a substantial donation and promised to raise more so that Louis and his family could be in Boston on March 5 for the Celtic’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Casey and his partners have raised more than $25,000 (nearly €18,200) in just four weeks to help fund the family's tour. He also said that Ceiba Solutions would cover the rest of the bill.
Coincidence or not, the fund-raising campaign also came to the attention of Corinne Grousbeck, wife of Celtics CEO Wycliffe Grousbeck, whose son suffers from a similar condition to Louis’. She promised she would make sure Louis and his family get some of the best seats in the house.
While in Boston, Louie will also spend a day at the world-renowned Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where the newest and most advanced ocular research is being conducted.
