As people, we have a tendency to take many things for granted, especially our senses. Undoubtedly, one of those things that we frequently take for granted on a daily basis is our ability to see.
One man from Colorado has a different perspective because of his different experiences.
When he was 16, Gene Purdie was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, a rare genetic eye disease. This condition typically starts in childhood, but can also be detected in adults.
Purdie was born with the condition, but it wasn’t until his teens that doctors were able to figure out what was happening to the young man.
As a result of his condition, Purdie lost a significant amount of his vision and is considered legally blind. The disease affects certain parts of the field of vision. For Purdie, this has meant that he has gradually only been able to see the edges and not the center of his vision.
While his vision may be imperfect, the severity of his condition has not affected Purdie’s ability to pursue a normal life. He married his wife, Joy, and had a son, Lincoln.
Joy wrote to the “Rachael Ray” show in November 2015, asking the host to help show her husband his growing family. Ray had been partnering with eSight to bring futuristic technologies to those in need. Joy had seen an episode in which the show helped a woman also diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease to see her sisters smile for the first time in years.
Since being affected by Stargardt’s Disease, Purdie has only been able to see the outlines of objects. He’s never been able to experience the joy of looking into his wife’s beautiful face or enjoyed the cute expressions that his tiny son makes.
While Purdie is certainly glad for all the good that he does have in his life and makes the most of life by being involved in many hobbies and activities, he knew that he was missing out in many ways, particularly his son growing up without being able to see him.
But then everything changed after Purdie was invited to the “Rachel Ray” show where he could try out a pair of new glasses that the inventors of the technology were only getting into the experimental phase on. For the first time as an adult, Purdie was able to get a true look at the world around him, but the first place his gaze went was toward his wife and son.
Joy was standing on the sidelines at the show, holding their little boy, Lincoln. When Purdie saw Joy, he said, “Oh, she’s pretty!” What an incredible moment when he was finally able to see his wife first-hand! Knowing that her husband was finally able to see her face, Joy broke down in tears. While the couple met early in life, it was the first time that she’d ever been able to know that her husband could actually see her.
This heartwarming moment between a loving couple and their child was only able to take place thanks to technology bringing families together.
