Meet Cloey

Photos courtesy of Thibodeau Designs

Cloey loves music. Cloey loves to dance and sing. She loves the feeling of playing with water and snow. But most of all Cloey loves rollercoasters: “the higher the better!”

WhenCloey was only five months old her parents were given a devastating diagnosis: Septo Optic Dysplasia. This means that their sweet baby girl is blind. InitiallyCloey’s parents were in shock. “No one wants to find out something is wrong with their child.” After the initial shock wore off it was replaced with acceptance that promptly turned into amazement. Her parents quickly realized that the fact that she was visually impaired was not going to stop her! “It is amazing to see what our angel can do... we admire her so much; she changed the way we look at life. We feel so lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful little girl.”

Cloey’s life is challenging — “all the little things that normally, we wouldn’t think twice about... walking, eating (chewing), and the function of toys...etc...”— but the joy and love she brings to her parents’ lives is unsurpassed.

Her parents are deeply in love with this amazing little girl who has become an inspiration by showing them that “she does not need her vision to see the world and enjoy life.”

Cloey’s parents hope that a day will come when their daughter will be able to see their faces. Her mom envisions that special moment when Cloey tells her how beautiful she is. But “deep down, we know Cloey has a vision of them already… her own vision, and that is special.” Above all her parents want for Cloey to be happy. “We wish that someday she will also have her own family and maybe be able to help other people with the same disability.”

To families out there who have children with similar conditions, Cloey’s parents want to let you know that while “some days will be harder than others… at the end of the day, that amazing child loves you and even though they can’t see you, they can feel you. They know who you are and the smile on their faces when they hear your voice will warm your heart.” Whatever the future holds, Cloey’s life will be filled with beauty. “Even if she never sees with her eyes, she will see with her ears and have her own vision of this beautiful world.”