Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier, a couple from Quebec, have four kids, all of whom may share a similar fate. At least three of them have retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease that causes loss of vision over time. The saddest part is that there’s no known cure for it. To try and alleviate that gut-wrenching, gloomy future of their kids, Edith and Sebastien have decided to show them the world and make them experience firsthand all the places, animals, food, colors, and architecture.
The Canadian couple, who had been married for twelve years when they got the bad news about Mia, noticed that their two sons, Colin (7) and Laurent (5), started showing the same symptoms. In 2019 the doctors confirmed their fears. Once Edith and Sebastien had come to terms with the news, they started focusing on what they could still do for their kids instead of thinking of the inevitable. They turned their attention to helping their children develop certain vital skills to navigate life when their vision fades away.
Immediately, Edith comes up with a brilliant idea of showing instead of telling. Why tell your kids what a camel looks like when you can have them ride one? The parents are planning to fill their children’s visual memory with the best, most stupefying images they can afford. It’s not just the objects but different cultures and people as well.
