Canadian couple Sebastien Pelletier and Edith Lemay first noticed their daughter Mia had vision problems when she was three years old. They took her to a specialist, and after a few years, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa.
It was a stunning blow for the parents as the eldest of their four kids was found to have a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time, according to the Daily Mail.
Pelletier and Lemay, who have been married for 12 years, had noticed that two of their sons, Colin and Laurent, were also experiencing the same symptoms. The couple's fears were confirmed when the two boys were diagnosed in 2019 with the same genetic disorder.
No cure or treatment for retinitis pigmentosa
Their other son Leo, who is now nine years old, was given the all-clear by doctors. Lemay said there is nothing you can do about the illness. She explained that there is currently no cure or effective treatment to help slow down the progression of retinitis pigmentosa.
She said they don't know how fast it will go, but they expect them to be completely blind by mid-life. Once the couple came to terms with the devastating news, the pair focused their attention on helping their kids build the skills they would need to navigate their way through life, according to CNN.
When their eldest child's specialist suggested that they engross Mia with visual memories, the mom of four realized that there was one truly incredible way to do just that for their daughter and the rest of their kids.
She would not show Mia an elephant in a book; she would take her to see a real elephant. She added that she would fill her daughter's visual memory with the best, most beautiful images.
Lemay and her husband soon started planning to spend a year traveling around the globe with their four children. While the couple traveled together frequently before they became mom and dad, and had taken their kids on various trips, going on an extended trip with the entire family had not seemed possible before.
Pelletier, who works in finance, said they had an urgency with the kids' diagnosis. He added there are great things to do at home, but there is nothing better than traveling. He said they get to see not only the scenery but also the different cultures and people in the places that they go.
Epic journey off and running after delays due to pandemic
They soon started building up their savings, and their travel pot got a welcome boost when the company that Pelletier worked for and had shares in was bought. Lemay said that was like a little gift from life as they suddenly had the money for their trip.
They were initially due to set off in July 2020 and were planning to travel through Russia and spend time in China. The COVID pandemic delayed their trip for a couple of years. They had to adjust their journey due to the travel restrictions, with the family beginning their trip in Namibia after leaving Montreal in March of this year.
The family got up close with zebras, giraffes, and elephants before heading to Zambia and Tanzania. They then flew to Turkey, spending a month there. The family then moved to Mongolia before making their way to Indonesia.
The National Eye Institute said that symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa usually begin in childhood, and most people with this illness eventually lose most of their sight.
