Three-year old Caiomhe Burns from Rubane near Kircubbin is a young child looking forward to the rest of her life, but unfortunately she has been seriously affected by a very rare genetic condition called opthalmic neuropathy and is losing her sight.
Caiomhe is a brave, cheerful, young girl who really has already accepted and adapted to her disability and knows her way around her home. But her parents want to bring her to Disneyland in Paris for four days before she finally loses the sight of her other eye. They have set up a fundraising campaign so that everyone can help send her parents and herself off to Paris to create some special memories for her to treasure for the rest of her life.
Caiomhe’s mother Deirdre Burns explained that she is an attentive child and plays well at home. She said: “She feels her way around now and knows where she is, but in more unfamiliar places she holds my hand and steps forward more cautiously. During the week she attends Kubbies playschool in Kircubbin and just loves it and enjoys singing and dancing along with the other children.
“We will certainly have to look at the options for her education as she gets older. It will be quite a challenge. I am a music teacher and work from home. Already Caoimhe has shown a great interest in music and the piano so she may well yet end up a good pianist yet or a musician.
“She loves to play around the house with he big sister Cara who is 13 and with her older brother Lorcan. Caiomhe is a bright and cheerful child, and seems to accept where she is.
“It was just last December when she was referred to the opthalmologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital for a routine test. It was quite a shock to hear the prognosis that she was going to progressively lose her sight. She was in hospital over Christmas and the New Year, but there was nothing that they could do.”
“Last week we went to a Tesco store and Caoimhe met people from the RNIB at the entrance. One of them was blind and had an assistance dog and she really took to it. Maybe in time she too could have one. It certainly would be a good companion for her.”
The Burns family have already set up a Facebook fundraising page and to date have managed to secure mist of the funds needed to get to Disneyland in Paris.
So why not make a small donation and help Caiomhe have a dream holiday she will remember for the rest of her life?
Check out the links:
https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Deirdreburns
https://www.facebook.com/CaiomhetoDsineyland/
