“It was such a shock,” says Lauren. “The milestones were going through my head...how is he going to learn how to eat? How will he learn how to walk? What does his future look like? Will he be able to get a job?”
These fears soon turned into learning opportunities with the support of Vision Australia. With early intervention through specialist children’s services, Eddy’s parents were given the guidance they needed to help Eddy thrive, including counselling support and connecting with other parents at a playgroup for children with low vision.
“Being told that your child is going to have a disability is really daunting. It’s hard. It’s still hard,” explains Lauren. “But the support and community that we’ve gotten brightened the future for us as parents. It helped us know that everything’s going to be all right,” she says.
Dad Chris agrees. “I think especially because Eddy was our first child, we had an idea of what life might look like and it suddenly felt like none of that could happen,” he adds. “But Vision Australia allowed us to see a future for Eddy and know that he’s got opportunities ahead of him.”
