When baby Elliot was 4 months old, he was diagnosed with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), an incurable condition that causes severe vision loss and blindness. It came as a shock to his parents, Wei Shi and Eric, who had big dreams for their first born.
There was little information on raising a blind baby because the condition is so rare. They had to come up with their own ways to teach Elliot to crawl forward and chew - things that would have come naturally for sighted children who largely learn from visual cues.
They also sought help from organisations such as Guide Dogs Singapore through which they met people like orientation mobility specialist Cheryl Yeo. She gave Elliot his first cane, which he now uses for exploring.
A year since Elliot's diagnosis, seeing how well he's been doing, Wei Shi and Eric worry a little less. Their biggest hope is for Elliot to be independent and achieve his dreams like any other sighted person, in spite of his disability.
(This video was filmed before Phase 2 Heightened Alert.)
For more, SUBSCRIBE to CNA INSIDER!
cna.asia/insideryoutubesub
Follow CNA INSIDER on:
Instagram: / cnainsider
Facebook: / cnainsider
Website: cna.asia/cnainsider