A Canadian couple is in a difficult position where their children are concerned, but they are making the best of it.
Three of their children have a rare condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which results in decline or loss of vision over the years. Not knowing how much longer their kids will be able to see, their parents are taking them around the globe for a year.
Edith and Sébastian hope to provide their kids with a treasure trove of “visual memories.”
The parents noticed that their only daughter, Mia, was having vision trouble some years back. They then discovered that two of their three sons, Colin and Laurent, have the same condition. The third son, Leo, was spared.
“We don’t know how fast it’s going to go, but we expect them to be completely blind by mid-life,” Edith told CNN Travel.
The family combined their savings and a generous monetary gift from Sébastian’s employer. The parents are travel veterans, but this particular set of adventures stand alone.
The trip was supposed to happen in 2020, but the pandemic pushed back plans for two years. The family started to travel in March of this year, and the kids have vocalized their interests, such as horseback riding.
For their part, Edith and Sébastian are handling the inevitable with grace. The children are curious, ask many questions and are adept at adapting to environmental changes.
CNN Travel reports, “they began their trip in Namibia, where they got up close to elephants, zebras and giraffes, before heading to Zambia and on to Tanzania, and then flying to Turkey, where they spent a month. The family then made their way to Mongolia, before moving on to Indonesia.”
The children find joy not just in the safaris and natural wonders, but the simple things.
“We never know what’s going to impress them,” Edith said. “They see puppies in the street and it’s the best thing in their life.”
The parents have been homeschooling-on-the-go, a kind of parenting style that is popular for some. It allows parents to teach their kids about the world in a more hands-on way.
This family’s story has caught the attention of many on social media, particularly Instagram and Facebook.