Meet Wes, the little ‘ball of fun’ overcoming big challenges
At just 4 years old, Wes and his parents have faced many challenges and lengthy waits for answers. Born with a rare genetic disorder known as Norrie disease, Wes was born blind due to a bilateral retinal detachment. Doctors around the world consulted on his case to determine the cause of his vision condition and eventually confirmed Norrie disease when Wes was two years old. This condition also leads to hearing loss, global developmental delays, epilepsy, and other challenges.
Having given birth during the height of the COVID pandemic, mum Gemma says she felt incredibly isolated when Wes was a baby – except for the support received from Vision Australia.
“Vision Australia has been our biggest guiding light since the beginning. I can’t imagine what Wes’s journey would be like without them. Hanna, Wes’s speech pathologist, wore many hats in the early days, providing guidance and support until the wider Vision Australia team could assist with home visits. She's now supporting us through major decisions like sending Wes to school near year – her insights are just invaluable,” shares Gemma.
In 2025, Gemma and her family will be taking on 100K Your Way to support Wes and other families like hers.
“I often wonder what life would be like if Wes didn’t face the challenges he does, but he keeps life interesting, he’s such a ball of fun! Each day, we go out to “get our wiggles out” and now, we have a special purpose — walking and running to complete our 100K.”
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.
