Image source: National Geographic.com
What would you do if you learned that three of your four children would one day go blind? For Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier the answer was simple: give them visual memories and life experiences that would last a lifetime.
In 2018, their oldest child Mia, then only seven years old, was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease that causes blindness over time. After learning more about the disease, the couple realized that their youngest two boys also had symptoms. With three of their four children diagnosed, one specialist suggested that the parents fill their visual memories with beautiful things by showing them pictures of the world and visit the zoo. Edith and Sébastien decided to take that idea further and planned a trip that would take the family around the world.
They wanted the children to be involved in planning the trip, but the kids didn't know enough geography to choose the destinations. So instead the parents asked them to list some of their dream activities. "Colin wanted to sleep on a train, Mia wanted to go horseback riding, Laurent wanted to drink juice on a camel and Léo wanted to swim with sharks." (CBC Canada.)
From left: Laurent listens to chanting monks in Laos, Léo learns to make a fire in Tanzania and the children play with a baby reindeer in Mongolia. (Edith Lemay/Instagram)
Ultimately, the family visited 13 countries within the year-long trip. Some of their destinations included Mongolia, Oman, Indonesia, Turkey, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. They opted to take basic transportation and accommodations to keep costs down and to teach their children resilience.
Image source: Edith Lemay/Instagram
During her interview with the BBC, their mother Edith, said, "Yes, we want to fill their visual memory but also we want our kids to become more resilient because throughout their life, they're going to need to have resilience. I don't want them to see what's happening to them as a curse or as something terrible. I want them to see that this is their path in life and they have great challenges. But they have all the tools within them to face those challenges."
Learn More about the Pelletier-Lemay family