Canadian family goes on world tour to make 'visual memories' before children lose their vision

Recently, a Canadian family went viral as it was on a world tour to create memories before three of their four children would eventually lose their eyesight.

Canadian parents Edith Lemay and Sebastian Pelletier first noticed that their eldest daughter Mia had vision issues when she was three years old. Mia was later diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder that results in a loss of eyesight over time.

After a few years in 2019, the couple observed similar symptoms in their two boys, Laurent, 5, and Colin, 7. However, their second son cleared all the tests.

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The mother said that since there is no cure for the illness or to halt the spread of the disorder, they cannot do anything for it. The parents predict that children will completely lose their visions by the time they reach midlife.

Lemay saidthat they could do just one thing for Mia and the other kids for them to create "visual memories," as the specialist recommended. The mother further said that instead of showing her an elephant in a book, they would take the children to actually see a real elephant.

She and her husband quickly started planning to spend a year touring the world with their children. The couple travelled frequently before becoming parents. Lemay says that there are good things to do at home, but nothing beats travelling.

The six-person family had a detailed trip, including visiting China and travelling to Russia by land, which was repeatedly postponed due to Covid travel restrictions. They left for Montreal in March 2022 without any plan. They started their journey in Namibia, where they were able to see elephants, zebras, and giraffes.

From there they travelled to Zambia, Tanzania, and finally to Turkey and spent a month there. After this, the family travelled to Mongolia, and then to Indonesia.

Pelletier said that they are only focusing on views and animals. The couple hopes that the trip will aid the children's development of strong coping abilities, in addition to beautiful sharp views and letting them know how privileged they are, despite potential difficulties when their vision deteriorates later in life.

The mother claims that while visual experiences still remain a priority, the trip is now more about showing the kids something different and will try to give them a taste of life-changing opportunities.

Although both parents are constantly thinking and worrying about their diagnosis, they are also concentrating on the present and trying to focus on positive energy and things. The family has created an Instagram account with over 80K followers.

(With inputs from agencies)

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