The McLeod Family

We are a family of six: Brady-dad, Sandra-mom, Kilah-15, Lillian-12, Andrew-10, and Julia-6. Andrew and Julia are both affected by the CRB1 gene mutation.

Andrew is a fifth grader in mainstream school. He’s a very intelligent kid with intense focus and a very matter of fact personality. Andrew is very athletic and swims for a competitive team. He was recently assigned his US Paralympic competitive swimming classification and is excited to begin competing against other people with visual impairments. Andrew is also a Boy Scout and will crossover from being a Cub Scout to Boy Scout this coming Spring.

Julia is a first grader also in mainstream school. Julia has significantly better vision than Andrew at this time, and is able to read normal print, but prefers well lit areas. Julia is also very athletic and enjoys being the flyer on her Cheer team. Along with her athleticism, Julia has been gifted with a pretty face and just completed a commercial photo shoot for our local hospital. Julia is full of life and has an amazing personality.

While Andrew and Julia are living full lives and developing appropriately, the daily challenges of living with vision impairments are constantly weighing on them. The limitations and emotional barriers they create are unavoidable.

That’s why we were so excited to get involved with this group of families that has come together to find a cure for our children’s affliction. We are looking forward to a day that Andrew and Julia will be able to drive a car, hit a fastball, and catch a facial expression. Thank you for contributing to help us make that happen!