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When Zarli was just eight weeks old, her parents noticed her eyes were moving involuntarily. After several tests, they learned that Zarli had nystagmus, which is caused by an abnormal function in the brain that controls eye movements.
By the age of six months, Zarli began receiving early intervention support from Vision Australia, including physiotherapy and speech pathology. Sarah, Zarli’s mum, is ecstatic about the changes that she’s seen – changes that your support makes possible for children like Zarli.
‘Zarli loves gymnastics, and we’ve even been able to incorporate gym activities that will help her balance and vision,’ said Sarah.
Today, Zarli is a bubbly, energetic three-year-old on a great adventure – a 12-month road trip around Australia! Zarli and her family set out from the Sunshine Coast in September 2023. In addition to all the wonderful experiences on her trip, Zarli continues her physiotherapy services with Vision Australia via telehealth while travelling.
A special recent highlight was a stay at her grandma’s small farm outside Victoria, where Zarli became good friends with Bobby the horse. As a founding member for Riding for the Disabled, Zarli's grandma was delighted to introduce her grandchildren to equine therapy.
‘We’ve only been doing equine therapy for a few months, but it has already made such an improvement in Zarli’s balance. When we started, we were holding her hips as the horse trotted, but she’s now strong enough to trot on the horse all by herself!’
We couldn’t do what we do without the wonderful generosity of supporters like you. Your kindness helps ensure that kids like Zarli have a bright future, and we are all so grateful to you!