We welcomed our first child in July 2006. After a complication-free pregnancy and delivery, we were surprised to see that our baby boy had 12 toes and 11 fingers. There were no other concerns, but he’d be followed closely for the first year.
Over that year Liam was gaining weight rapidly, had difficulty reaching milestones and had several respiratory infections. At I year old our pediatrician referred us to genetics at McMaster for consultation and testing. A few weeks before Liam’s 2nd birthday he was diagnosed with Bardet Bield Syndrome (BBS). Our whole world had changed with those few words. The appointments with specialists, tests and therapies began.
By age 7 Liam was diagnosed with autism and at 8 years old it was confirmed he had Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Though RP is usually part of BBS it didn’t make the news any less painful. Liam began to learn braille, how to use a white cane and how to navigate safely. He is now considered legally blind.
For the past 7 years, Liam has had two surgeries on his feet, orthotics/orthosis, dozens of abdominal ultrasounds, x-rays, bloodwork, eye tests and mental health struggles.
In early 2021 Liam became a Guelph Wish Fund kid. He has been able to add some new gaming systems to his collection with better graphics which allows him to keep gaming as his vision loss progresses. Liam was also excited to attend FanExpo last year and meet a couple of celebrities. “Being a wish kid puts a smile on my face. I can see my video games better and play with my friends. It was awesome meeting Adam Savage (Mythbusters) and the original voice actor of Ash from Pokémon.” -Liam
We are incredibly grateful for the Guelph Wish Fund. It has and will continue to help us check things off Liam’s list of experiences he’d like to have and things he’d like to see. We can’t say thank you enough.
- Liam's Family
Click here to help other wish kids fulfill their dreams!