Meet McKinley

McKinley was born with a rare genetic retinal disease called Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA).

While you and I might not understand LCA, the result is severe vision loss at birth that can progress to complete blindness by childhood—a diagnosis no parent wants to hear.

While we can’t know exactly how McKinley felt, we do know that her parents, Julie and Parker, began to grieve all the things their daughter would never be able to do—even simple things like watch a cartoon, view a rainbow or see their faces.

“I had no idea how I would help her to grow and thrive,” reflects Julie. “I was feeling very down about McKinley’s potential as well as my own.”

Fortunately, McKinley’s pediatrician referred the Soveys to Vision Forward, and that’s when everything changed. As a family, they started to recognize all McKinley’s gifts. And they were able to begin moving beyond their grief.

Today, McKinley is an adorable five-year-old girl who loves to sing and learn and play. While she’ll always need some adaptations for her vision loss, the important skills she learned at Vision Forward have helped her become the confident child she is today.

“I truly believe McKinley’s potential has no limits!” states Julie with enthusiasm.