A Challenge Met With Strength: Kaeden Doesn’t Let Congenital Eye Disease Take His Freedom

by Nadia Turki

Kaeden is my son.

He was born blind with a condition called Bilateral Peters Anomaly.

He has had 39 surgical procedures on his eyes, including two corneal grafts and a numbers of glaucoma treatments. This rare disease has affected not only his mobility and social development, but his childhood, as he spend most of his young life in hospital.

Side effects from his numerous treatments have affected his day-to-day life in ways we couldn’t have imagined. He  has recently been diagnosed with suppressed immunity and Hypo-Anterior Pituitary. This is being examined as a possible result of his Peters Anomaly mutation causing issues with pituitary development during embryogenesis.

Kaeden is strong and has never complained about any treatment or surgery. He is now 10 years old and takes part in a large number of physical sports and activities and his progression in school is phenomenal.
Kaeden’ left eye collapsed but we made to decision together to delay removal so that he can enjoy what’s left of his youth without surgery and so far Kaeden is doing just that!
I now study molecular medicine as I hope one day to be involved in research surrounding rare congenital eye diseases.