StemCell Therapy

March 27, 2017 8:47 PM By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)Changing the perception of blindness is the mission of a Bucks County mother who has two blind children.

And for her efforts, Kristin Smedley is being honored.

She has been invited to speak at a prestigious event called Risk Takers, Change Makers.

Kristin fits both of those descriptions and the title of her talk is How I Learned To See Through The Eyes Of My Sons.

Her sons Mitchell and Michael are blind but that hasnt held them back very much.

It doesnt stop the Bucks County brothers from playing a round of air hockey.

Theyve learned to play not by watching the puck but by listening for it.

Sight is not what should hold anyone back, its just a minor inconvenience, says Mitchell.

Mitchell is 13 years old and his big brother is 17 years old.

They were both born with a rare inherited eye disease called Leber congenital amaurosis or LCA.

Having 2 blind kids, initially that was the most devastating news, said Kristin.

But that devastation turned into amazement for Kristin as she learned how well her boys could adapt and even excel.

Michael is an accomplished musician and is involved with school productions.

Sometimes at school they look at me and say, Wait, youre the blind kid running the lights yeah and you send the blind kid on the cat walk, says Michael. So theres nothing you cant do.

The stuff they can do is unbelievable, says Kristin.

Shes writing a book called Thriving Blind and has a big following on Facebook helping other families with blind children.

Kristin started a foundation called Curing Retinal Blindness that raises money for research.

Shes organizing a fundraiser and is putting the finishing touches on the presentation shes been invited to give at a TEDx event which highlights innovative ideas.

Its like that dream come true moment, says Kristin.

TED stands for technology, entertainment and design.

Shes excited to share her message of conquering fear and understanding that blindness can be powerful.

She says those are lessons she learned from her sons.

Their brains work at a higher level than ours too. she said. Because my son Michael will say, youre so distracted, you sighted people are all distracted by the stuff you see, focus mom focus, its amazing.

The boys are enrolled in regular classes at school.

They use a Braille notepad and have big plans for a future that include college and big careers.

For Michael and Mitch, being blind isnt much of a consideration.

I really dont think its that big of an issue, says Mitch.

Kristins TEDx speech is March 30 in New York City.

Invitations to speak at TEDx are very selective and prestigious and the event will be giving Kristins message a big international forum.

Stephanie Stahl, CBS 3 and The CW Philly 57s Emmy Award-winning health reporter, is featured daily on Eyewitness News. As one of the television industrys most respected medical reporters, Stephanie has been recognized by community and he...

Follow this link:
Bucks County Mother On A Mission To Change The Perception Of Blindness - CBS Philly

This entry was posted on March 28, 2017 at 1:43 pm and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |