Finn's story
From the moment Finn was born, Claudia, his mother, noticed abnormalities with his sight. At just 4 weeks old, Finn was admitted to hospital following an episode of abnormal eye movements. Following numerous tests and appointments, Finn was diagnosed with CEP290-related ciliopathies just before his first birthday. This inherited condition leads to several syndromes, including Leber’s congenital amaurosis, resulting in severe and early onset vision loss.
Finn’s family were referred to Vision Australia by their ophthalmologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. From the moment Finn’s vision issues were discovered, Vision Australia has supported his family by providing a number of services:
“We had a lovely early childhood educator come to our home to help us with play strategies for a blind child, an orthoptist to assess Finn’s level of functional vision so that we can work within that, a speech pathologist to assist with the sensory challenges of feeding, as well as providing emotional support to myself to assist me in caring for a child with blindness,” Claudia explains.
“My hope for Finn’s future is that accessibility is no longer an issue, inclusion is the norm, and that he is resilient and determined enough to know that there is nothing that he cannot do, just that it might look a little different than what you would expect,” Claudia continues.
This Christmas, Claudia and her family are looking forward to the warm weather, spending days at the beach, eating lots of food, and making memories with their loved ones. To help spread some extra joy this festive season, Finn’s loved ones will be taking part in their very first Santa Fun Run, helping to raise funds and awareness for kids just like Finn!
“We’ve been blown away by the level of support and care that Finn receives to help him on his journey. Finn wouldn’t be where he is today and achieving his goals without his support team behind him. I hope that our story raises awareness about what Vision Australia does and inspires others to get involved. Their services have literally changed our little boy’s life, so please donate to help other kiddos like Finn” Claudia says.
