Thank you for you interest in the third #seelikeMav Golf Tournament benefiting Foundation Fighting Blindness! We held our first tournament in 2021 and have raised over $50,000 towards sight-saving research.
For our family, this is more than just a golf tournament. In January 2020, our oldest son Maverick, who was 6 at the time, was diagnosed with a retinal disease known as X-linked juvenile retinoschisis. This is a rare genetic retinal disease that affects around 35,000 people in the United States and causes progressive vision loss through adolescence. During what was supposed to be a routine appointment with his pediatrician, Maverick flunked the eye chart which resulted in a series of appointments leading us to his diagnosis within the week. In an instant, our healthy child, who hardly ever ran a fever, was given the label of “disabled” and “visually impaired”. We were told that Maverick may never drive a car, or do many other things that adolescents and teenagers look forward to, and that he could become legally blind by the time he was an adult. As parents, we felt helpless as there was absolutely nothing we could do to change the outcome.
There is currently no treatment, no procedure, no medicine and no quick fix like glasses, available for those with inherited retinal diseases like the one Maverick has. After researching different ways we could make his situation better, we were connected with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, an organization whose mission is to find treatments, preventions, and cures for blinding diseases like X-linked juvenile retinoschisis.
Not only is the Foundation driving sight-saving research, but more importantly, they have given our family and families like ours, hope. Hope that one day we will not have to tell our son he cannot drive like the rest of his friends or that he cannot do that job that requires 20-20 vision. It gives us hope that there is a cure in the near future.
If you had a chance to personally meet Maverick, you know that absolutely nothing stops him. He’s strong, resilient and stubborn. Nothing and no one is going to stand in his way, and this is the case with so many others affected by retinal diseases that we have been blessed to be connected with through the golf tournament and Foundation Fighting Blindness.
As we speak, there’s an ongoing clinical trial taking place involving gene therapy for those affected by retinoschisis. This trial has been highly successful thus far and could offer life-changing opportunities for kids and adults just like Maverick. Foundation Fighting Blindness was instrumental in helping fund this trial, and this is an amazing testimony of our fundraising dollars at work. It’s why I keep the faith and never give up year after year.
Planning this tournament to support the Foundation Fighting Blindness has been a natural fit for our family to help move the mission of the Foundation forward. It’s been our goal since the first year to make it a community staple and something participants looked forward to year after year. We appreciate your support and can’t wait to see you in February!
Warm Regards,
The Raulerson Family