Specs

You may have noticed Anya's new glasses, the cutest ones to date.  You may also be thinking, wait, didn't she just get new glasses a few months ago?  Indeed, she starting wearing her second pair of glasses about half a year ago, despite having them for 6 months prior to that.

Those glasses seemed to be doomed from the start.  First, there was the (extremely) wrong prescription problem that caused many tears.  Next came many scratches.  So many that she went back to wearing her first pair, the purple pair.  Until those broke, and it was time to get some new ones.

These glasses are vital to the future of Anya's vision.  They protect her good eye and help to prevent total blindness.  In the case of her glasses breaking, it was due to wrestling with a friend.  We can all imagine what could have happened in that instant had she not been wearing her glasses.  For all kids who have had an eye removed due to Retinoblastoma or any other disease, glasses are a necessity, yet they are not covered by insurance in a majority of cases.  We learned from our mistake with the 2nd pair of glasses and this time went back to the optical store that specializes in children's glasses.  We opted for the lenses with the highest scratch resistance and greatest reduction of glare.  Put that all together with Anya's super fashionable choice of frames and these glasses cost over three hundred dollars.

I had heard of an organization called Specs for Little Heroes, that purchases protective eyewear for children impacted by Retinoblastoma.  Erin, mother of a child with Retinoblastoma herself, and founder of the organization responded to me within the day and a week later a check arrived in our mailbox.

Erin's son was diagnosed almost exactly one year after Anya was diagnosed.  A year after that, not only have they started this generous organization, but they have made a difference in the lives of more than thirty children, all diagnosed with Retinoblastoma.  I find this an incredibly inspiring tale, and hope one day to be on the giving end for Specs for Little Heroes.  I would love to find a similarly meaningful way to pay forward all the support Anya, and all of us have received on this journey.