A mum-of-three from Banbridge is raising money for a charity that has been a ‘lifeline’ for her family ever since her two young boys were diagnosed with visual impairments.
Emma Sipson’s sons, Fionn (15) and Noah (9), are both partially sighted – her son Fionn was first diagnosed at age 5 when she was pregnant with Noah.
Figures from the RNIB estimate that around 54,000 people in the north live with blindness or are partially sighted, however most of them are over the age of 65.
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“Whenever you first get that diagnosis for your children, it’s a worrying time,” Ms Sipson said.
“It’s the unknown - you’re thrown into this big pool of stuff.
“Your mind automatically goes to the worst-case scenario of everything - how is this going to impact their lives? How is this going to change things for them or will it stop them doing things?”
However, her family has come to focus on the “bigger picture”.
“They both manage it really well,” she said.
“The older that they’ve got, going through school, obviously they are well aware of their peers.
She recalled her eldest son starting to get self-conscious about having to wear glasses and sit at the front of class.
“Those special measures that were put in place for him, he kind of started to pull back from those because he just wanted to be ‘normal’, as he would have said.”
Yet, there’s never been anything that they wanted to try that they haven’t been able to.
“Rather than focus on all the negative things and all the things they can’t do, we have always really focussed on what they can do.
“They don’t allow it to hold them back. This is just the normal in our home.”
Ms Sipson believes a big part of that has been helped by the fact that both of her sons share a similar experience and that she has always been honest about their condition, particularly when it comes to driving.
While Noah’s visual impairment is “more significant” than his brother’s, neither will be able to drive.
“That’ll be the biggest hurdle, I think, as a young boy,” she said.
“I didn’t want to lead them up the garden path. They’ve been very aware of what challenges they could possibly face.”
One of the biggest sources of support for the family has been “lifeline” local charity Angel Eyes NI.
“Angel Eyes has been a part of our lives for the last nine years, at least – they’re a real source of support and strength.”
One of their unique services is a ‘sight loss simulator’, allowing parents to see the world through their children’s eyes. This is also available for teachers and classroom assistants.
“We can’t see what they see and to that child, it’s normal. They don’t know any different,” said Ms Sipson.
“A picture paints a thousand words; to be able to put that on and see the world the way my children do, it was amazing to actually be given that chance.”
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Posted by Angel Eyes NI on Thursday 28 November 2024
Emma is raising funds for the charity in a dancing event in Portadown next February.
She thanked those who have donated so far, including Ruby Competitions and Doire Dress by Shauna Sheils for sponsoring her entry.
“It’s lovely to give something back to people that have helped you and made an impact on your life.”
Donations can be made to Emma’s GoFundMe here.
