At 18 months old, Delaney Kelly of Bow was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
The tumor originated in her
hypothalamus, but it began to
put pressure on her optic nerve. While doctors determined that
the tumor’s size could be managed through chemotherapy,
they predicted that Delaney
would gradually lose all of her
vision.
By the time Delaney was ready to enroll in preschool, her mother, Kelly Spain-Kelly, was seeking more resources for children who are visually impaired.
“I think it’s also difficult to know as a parent which avenue to take, because it’s not that common to have a child with a visual impairment,” she said.
Spain-Kelly turned to the internet for help. Her search led her to the Concord nonprofit Future In Sight, formerly known as the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.
Future In Sight was founded in 1912 and has served New Hampshire’s blind and visually impaired populations ever since. In recent years, they have reached more than 3,000 people statewide with educational services, occupational and rehabilitation therapy programs and technology training. The organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year is a 3K walk through downtown Concord that will be held Saturday morning.
Delaney, now 9 years old, is finishing third-grade. Under the direction of Future In Sight professionals, she uses a cane to help her navigate her environment and a video magnifier to help her read large print. She is also learning Braille.
“She’s excelling,” Spain-Kelly said. “She’s pretty remarkable.”
Bobby-Ann Dostie of Deerfield encountered a similar lack of support when her now 6-year-old son Sebastion developed a cataract in his left eye at 5 weeks old. Like Delaney, Sebastion is thriving, but the days surrounding his early treatments were daunting.
“We had to travel all the way to Boston Children’s multiple times a month, and even there they didn’t have a lot of resources,” Dostie said. Sebastion received multiple surgeries and was fitted for pediatric contact lenses.
Dostie learned of Future In Sight when a colleague received an invitation to participate in the 2017 Walk for Sight, the nonprofit’s largest annual fundraiser.
“I kind of became infatuated, because I wish I would have known about Future In Sight so much sooner than I found out about them,” she said. “I wish I would have had them for at least emotional support. Nobody seemed to understand what I was going through as a mother with him.”
On Saturday, the Spain-Kelly and Dostie families will join an estimated 500 others in downtown Concord for the 16th Walk for Sight. Proceeds support the wide range of services that Future in Sight provides visually impaired people of all ages.
“I think that Future In Sight gives people hope in their abilities, because I think when you lose your sight, you lose a piece of yourself, and I think the support that they offer helps you to find that piece back again,” Spain-Kelly said. “The Walk for Sight is that sense of community and just public awareness.”
“It’s such a positive event … it’s just good to feel like you’re part of something and that you’re not alone and other people have gone through what you’ve gone through and are still making the most of their lives,” Dostie added.
What: 16th annual Walk for Sight
When: Saturday, June 1. Check-in at 9 a.m. Walk begins at 11 a.m.
Where: 3K walk through downtown Concord begins at the “Walk for Sight” headquarters at 25 Walker St.
About: This year, Future In Sight hopes to raise $100,000 from the “Walk for Sight” to support the $1.7 million cost of delivering programs and services to the nonprofit’s diverse client base, from babies and toddlers to the elderly, to help them lead active and fulfilling lives.
For more information:futureinsight.org or call 224-4039