Ben's Wish List

     I recently read the article "Texas boy, 9, starts 'bucket list' before blindness comes" from USA Today. The article is about a 9 year old boy named Ben from Texas who was born more than four months early and weighed only 1 pound 6 ounces at birth. He was born so early that his eyelids were still fused together. After many eye surgeries, Ben has been told that he will go blind soon. His parents have been encouraging him to learn how to read braille and to take in everything around him before he loses his sight completely.

     While Ben is upset about his impending vision loss, he is trying to make the most out of the time that he has left. He has created a wish list of things to see before he goes blind. Somethings on his list include: going to the Apple Store, seeing the Northern Lights, visiting London, Paris and Legoland. He wants to be able to experience things normal people would in their life time, in only a few months. Ben comes from a family of 8, so money is tight. To help pay for all of these trips, Ben's siblings have started selling baked goods and friends and family have pitched in with expenses. Occasionally, free tickets will show up on their doorstep from people who have heard their story, or museums and stores will open early and let them in free to give Ben the best experience possible.

     This story has a moral, miracles do happen, cliche, yet effective and very meaningful. A line from the article that represents this moral is, "'But when we look how far he's come and how many odds he's overcome and how amazing it is that he's even here, it gives us hope that maybe we'll pull off a few more miracles.'" This is Ben's mother talking about how many miracles have happened to them already, and how lucky they have been, considering the situation they are in. This story also shows how kind and generous people can be, as it states, "Friends and strangers have pitched in. On one occasion, tickets to an event showed up on the Pierces' doorstep." This quote from the article shows that people do care and are willing to take action. It also makes the reader of the article want to take action and help either Ben's family, or another family that is in need. 

Click here to read Ben's story.