LIFE IN FOCUS: Family raising money to help their young daughter see better
People who are legally blind now have something they can turn to.
E-Sight glasses act as a magnifier that focuses in on objects and its color. It sounds like a great device, but it is also pretty expensive. Now, one local family says the device will change their girl's life.
Jaiya Marshall is a five-year-old girl, and she has lots to offer.
"She's already an old soul," said Abbie Marshall, Jaiya's mother. "If she sees someone wearing a dress and she sees the flowers, she will be like, 'Mom, that women is just so beautiful'."
Jaiya loves, lives and plays like any child would, and she is also a legally blind person. Jaiya's mother and father noticed something wasn't right, when Jaiya was six months old.
"Her eyes would shake really bad and wonder off, in a sense," said Playthell Marshall Jr., Jaiya's father.
Doctors initially were not sure of her condition, but three years later, Jaiya was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. Jaiya was given glasses and a cane to help in everyday tasks. Her mother, Abbie, said Jaiya's vision is similar to what one would see, if one was looking through safety goggles that was smeared with Vaseline.
"In the classroom right now, she has a dome magnifier about the size of a baseball that she uses over her words," said Abbie.
Right now, Jaiya doesn't know life any differently, and her younger brother even watches out for her. A pair of E-Sight glasses, however, could make Jaiya's life a little easier, and much more clear.
"They have three high-definition cameras that minimize everything around her, and then maximize the size on a little screen in there for her," said Abbie.
"With the glasses, she could sit anywhere and see the whole board and everything written in on the board," said Abbie. "She could see your whole face, instead of just being a blur of beautifulness to her."
Jaiya recently tried to glasses to make sure she was compatible with them. A pair of these E-Sight glasses, however, cost more than $10,000, and the Marshall family cannot afford it. A GoFundMe page has been set up, and they hope to get the glasses soon, to help put Jaiya's life in focus.
Jaiya's E-Sight Glasses GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/jaiyas-esight-glasses