MANSFIELD – Ask the second graders at St. Peter’s Elementary School what they would like to see on their “visual bucket list,” and they may tell you a rainbow, a robot, or even a unicorn.
For second grader Remington Hedrick, all she wants to see is the giraffes at the zoo.
That wish can now come true for Remington, who was presented with a brand-new pair of eSight glasses on Thursday, totally by surprise. The glasses were made possible through a fundraising effort led by The Visual Bucket List Foundation.
Less than two months ago, Steven and Christine Myers of the Visual Bucket List Foundation announced they would begin the effort to purchase a pair of eSight glasses for Remington.
The glasses, which cost $10,000, help Remington with two visual conditions she has: nystagmus, which causes the eyes to make repetitive uncontrolled movements, and retinal dystrophy, which affects her sensitivity to light.
Remington’s parents, Amber and Shane Hedrick, told Richland Source in August that Remington has trouble seeing things at a distance, has little to no depth perception, and has significant color deficiencies.
“Eye strain is huge with nystagmus; in the mornings you might not see her eye movement but after lunch or towards the end of the day her eye movement picks up, the eye strain and headaches are very significant,” said Shane Hedrick.
With the eSight glasses, Remington will be able to magnify her surroundings, change the contrast of text on a page, and take pictures or video to replay her experiences. On Thursday, she was able to recognize her classmates’ faces for the very first time.
“Before she put them on a million things were running through my mind,” said Amber Hedrick on Thursday. “But when she put them on and she was able to point out who people were, that’s not something she’s ever been able to do. I really think worlds are going to open up for her.”
Members of the community and Remington’s entire second grade class gathered in the St. Peter’s parking lot on Thursday morning to see her receive her new glasses. One special guest was Fred Boll, executive director of Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, who played a major part in Remington receiving her glasses.
According to Steven Myers, the Visual Bucket List Foundation was able to raise the $10,000 for the eSight glasses in only 18 days. Even Remington’s classmates pitched in, one second grade boy emptying his $75 in savings. Then fate stepped in.
“We had raised about $2,300 and then we got a call from a donor who prefers to remain anonymous, and she said she would write us a check for $10,000,” Myers said.
The problem was, the Visual Bucket List Foundation has not yet been certified as a 501c3 nonprofit. The Myers scrambled to find a nonprofit to accept the money on their behalf, and found a willing partner in Little Buckeye.
“Little Buckeye is about child development, and how can you develop if you can’t see,” Boll said. “You should never get in the way of a good thing happening, so I said absolutely we would make it happen. Collaboration between nonprofits is how we change the world.”
The Hedrick family found out Remington would be receiving her glasses just a few weeks ago, and decided to orchestrate a surprise.
“When we saw so many people in our community step up, from kids in her class to even strangers, I wanted her friends to be part of it,” said Amber Hedrick.
The first thing Remington was able to see after putting on her eSight glasses were her parents’ faces. Then talk quickly turned to seeing the giraffes at the zoo.
“It’s a humbling and emotional feeling, it’s awesome that people besides us really do care about our daughter,” said Shane Hedrick. “We can’t even say how grateful we are.”
