Diagnosis
Gemma is nine, making her the youngest in her big family. And just like any other child, she’s always tailing her brothers and sisters, climbing trees – before promptly jumping out of them. Not a lot can slow her down.
Many people don’t realise Gemma is legally blind – because Gemma knows that she has the right to dream big. All that’s thanks to the support she’s received from Vision Australia, and kind people like you.
It wasn’t always like this however. Gemma’s parents were terrified for their baby girl when she was first diagnosed with congenital glaucoma.
‘No-one could tell us what she would be able to see or how she would be able to manage as she got older,’ Gemma’s mum Nova said.
‘It was a horrible time. Not knowing was the worst thing.’
Getting support
Then they met Vision Australia. Together with her family, we worked with Gemma to equip her with strategies to live like any other child, to reach for her dreams, forge new ones – and of course, hang from a tree, run around a playground, tie her own shoes and so much more.
‘Having that guidance from Vision Australia gave us deeper confidence to let Gemma do things every kid does like climb and hang from trees,’ Nova said..
Alessandra works with Gemma regularly, helping her build a strong foundation of skills in everything from tying her shoelaces to baking a cake. She also works closely with Nova and the rest of the family to help them feel supported as Gemma takes on new challenges.
This is possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters. And we want to help more children like Gemma who are blind or have low vision, build the foundational skills to live life they choose. So they can believe in themselves every day, bake and challenge themselves at school camp just like Gemma.