Sarah and Max's story
After having low vision for the entirety of his childhood, Max was diagnosed with Rod Cone Retinal dystrophy in late 2023. At 9 years of age, Max has night blindness and is slowly losing his vision. It is currently unknown whether Max will lose 100% of his vision, and how long this may take.
Max’s parents, Tara and Jamie have been supported by Vision Australia since September 2023.
Tara reflects on this support, “They were very engaging with Max and answered all his questions. We have ongoing support from our Occupational Therapist and Mobility Specialist from our local Vision Australia team. We have also had a functional vision assessment done in Melbourne at Vision Australia where Max recieved his first visual aid, a visulette (Max uses this in the classroom every day). Our local Vision Australia team and Max’s school are organising an environmental assessment of Max’s school.”
Tara’s sister, Sarah Sharpe, has taken it upon herself to create a team to support her nephew Max in Vision Australia’s 100k Your Way challenge. Tara and her husband Jamie plan to run 100km each this year.
“It's great motivation to stay active and it’s for a great cause. Not everyone has the capability to walk out the front door and go for a run. Get behind a great cause and even better organisation that really supports those that need it the most,” Sarah says.
About Vision Australia
Vision Australia is a leading national provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia. We work in partnership with Australians who are blind or have low vision to help them achieve the possibilities they choose in life.
We support more than 25,500 people of all ages and life stages, and circumstances. We do this through 35 Vision Australia centres in Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia; and through outreach programs in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
We are a not-for-profit organisation and a major participant and partner in the international blindness community.
You can read more about Vision Australia on the website here.
