Twelve-year-old Louis Corbett and two of his older brothers have a genetic disorder, known as retinitis pigmentosa, that causes eyesight to deteriorate over time. However, Louis has an accelerated version. His mom, Catherine Corbett, told CNN that he's likely to lose his vision soon. So instead of watching the world fade away, his parents have a plan to help Louis see it all.
"This year we're going to try and fill his world with as many beautiful images as we can," Catherine said. The family explains how on their crowd funding page called "Louis' BIG Trip":
This trip is to fill his 'visual database' with colours, textures, shapes, sights and sunsets. We also want to equip him with the confidence and resilience to become an strong, confident young man who knows no limits.
That visual database includes places very far from his home in New Zealand -- the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building, and to see the Boston Celtics play.
The Corbetts were in somewhat of a rush to jet set. WPTV reported that the young sports fan has already lost 50 percent of his sight this past year. Enter a very generous neighbor.
Warren Casey, CEO of a software firm in Boston, decided to help out in a big way; he donated his own Air New Zealand points to cover airfare and his company offered to pay for the trip. Together, with family and friends, they raised more than $20,000 in just four weeks.
Now that the dream trip is underway, Louis' father posts pictures and videos of their adventures on their Facebook page. So far, they have visited San Francisco, Google's offices and Disney. Louis has tasted awesome burgers, white water rafted and gone on a roller coaster:
On Monday, the Corbett family flew to Boston to see his favorite sports team -- the Boston Celtics. Corrine Grousbeck, the incoming chair of the trustees at the Perkins School for the Blind where her daughter attends, saw Louis' story. She and her husband Wycliffe Grousbeck also happen to co-own the Celtics.
"I completely understood where the Corbetts were coming from in wanting to build a visual memory bank for (Louie)," Grousbeck told WPTV. "Of course when I read about how he was a big Celtics fan I knew that we had to have him come for a game."
The Grousbecks and the Celtics franchise have come together to give Louis the ultimate fan experience, including helping him get box seats and facilitating fun travels for him in the Boston area.
On Friday, dad wrote a message on Facebook to those who have helped Louis fulfill his adventures: "Thank you to everyone who got us here. It's more than we dreamed could happen. And it's happening right now because of you."
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