By Ekaterina Widell | Communications Coordinator
Little Jimy got a rough start in life. Born with toxoplasmosis, he grew up losing his central vision and living in a Colombian orphanage for the blind for six years of his young childhood. But this happy and resilient child got the chance of a lifetime in 2017 when he traveled to the United States to participate in Kidsave’s 5-week Summer Miracles program. He stayed with Fred and Maria, who gave him a summer to remember as he got to know, trust, and love them... and vice versa.
The family did everything under the sun, and Jimy experienced many firsts. He ticked off one of his “must do’s” when he traveled to the beach for the first time and got the chance to feel the sand between his toes. “He was such a positive kid,” says Maria. “Coming from his background, with his disability, he still had a certain way of looking at new experiences and the world around him in a way than you had ever viewed it before.”
Fred and Maria decided they wanted to adopt Jimy, and a year later, he moved into his forever home. “He walked through the front door, threw his backpack down, and kicked it off,” says Maria. “It was like he was there yesterday.” Now firmly part of the family, Jimy loves school and is learning Braille.
He’s also been gifted a device called eSight 4 from an organization called Sightsavers, allowing him to see things he could never see before. Jimy visited the SEA LIFE and Legoland Discovery Center, where, for the first time, he could see all the fish in the aquarium. Jimy is now going to school and has joined the chess club. He plays Xbox with his friends and has taken a particular interest in technology. He looks forward to his robotics and coding classes with an eye for a career in that area.
Thinking back on those five weeks, Maria said, “Hosting is an amazing experience. Looking through the eyes of these kids that haven’t experienced so many of the things that we take for granted, you will find a new appreciation. And when you decide to adopt,” Maria says, “it takes a village, and Kidsave has a circle of adoptive families ready to help guide you.”
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