Meet Emilee.
She was born 12 weeks premature, weighing less than 2.5 lbs. Doctors told her parents to prepare for the worst. She survived, but an eye specialist told her parents she would never see. Her mom refused to believe it.
In 1984, ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) wasn't yet a term most families knew. Emilee only learned the name for her own condition this year.
She grew up active and independent, until age 15, when her retina detached and she needed 7-hour surgery to repair over 30 tears. She recovered fully and was told that "someday" her other eye might follow the same path.
That someday came at 41. In December 2025, weeks after a transatlantic cruise, doctors discovered her right retina had been detaching for weeks. What followed was five surgeries in a single year: a vitrectomy, a high-pressure crisis, an anaphylactic reaction to treatment, and two more detachments in the same eye. She's permanently lost vision above the midline in that eye.
Through it all, Emilee's message is simple: "I am pushing through and overcoming."
Stories like Emilee's are why this work matters: advancing research and standing with families navigating pediatric retinal disease at every stage of life, from the NICU to adulthood.
#ROPAwareness #RetinopathyOfPrematurity #PatientStory #PRRF #RetinalDetachment #Resilience
Transplanting mitochondria is a simple process, according to scientists Dr. Luis Villa-Diaz and Dr. Michael Risner. Watch to learn how it happens & stay tuned to learn more about their research!
Carlos T. Reza lost his vision to diabetic retinopathy at 31 — and decided that wasn't the end of his story.
In this episode, he sits down with Jeanne McClellan to share the journey that took him from a correctional officer to a psychologist, one step at a time.
It's one of the most powerful stories we've captured on this podcast, and we think you'll understand why.
🎙️ Listen to the full episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/1FmGxy9p9cvcYH4JGkRk2n?si=eZtetWyPQ7iBhyoenEZUvg
Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation
#throughoureyes #podcast #awareness #lowvision #blind #inspiration #prrf #raredisease #retinaldisease #pediatricretinaldisease #empowerment
Carlos T. Reza lost his vision to diabetic retinopathy at 31 — and decided that wasn't the end of his story.
In the latest episode of Through Our Eyes, he sits down with Jeanne McClellan to share the journey that took him from a correctional officer to a psychologist, one step at a time.
It's one of the most powerful stories we've captured on this podcast, and we think you'll understand why.
🎙️ Listen to the full episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/1FmGxy9p9cvcYH4JGkRk2n?si=eZtetWyPQ7iBhyoenEZUvg
© 2026 Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation.
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