The great challenge of Louis Corbett

The great challenge of Louis Corbett: <<Before becoming blind I have so many things to do>>

Louis Corbett, age 12, is suffering from a degenerative disease: in a few weeks will lose his sight. But meanwhile, has drawn up ''wishlist to be realized "

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He wants to be able to tick all the wishes on his "bucket list" - literally, things to do before to die - before the light around him to go out completely, due to a degenerative disease. On the Internet, his story has touched so many. With the strength of those who want to know, but most still see a lot, and the enthusiasm of adolescence, the twelve year old Louis Corbett in Auckland, New Zealand, from day to day, he found himself in front of the greatest challenge in few weeks will lose his sight. 

Louis lives his life fully, and with his family travels around the world. His parents want to fill his head with the largest number of possible images. "There's not much time, remained a few weeks", says his mother Catherine. Last year, doctors had informed her that the youngest of her five children suffers from an inherited disease of the retina that causes progressive loss of vision up to, in severe cases, total blindness. After the initial shock it was followed by another: the degenerative process of the boy is progressing faster than expected, and there is no curative therapy. So his mother encouraged him to create a list of places to see, people to meet. Louis has clear ideas : he wants to see the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, the Google headquarters in California and a game of his favorite basketball team, the Boston Celtics. 

Catherine and her husband Tim have decided to launch on the social media an appeal for donations. The first to come forward was the neighbor, Warren Casey. The head of a computer company, which is constantly shuttling between Auckland and Boston Corbett has given the miles earned in the many indoor air travel and the cost of the ticket for all seven members of the family. In four weeks came to $ 25,000 donations from friends but also from complete strangers on the other side of the globe. The story of the little Louis also came to the ears of Corinne Grousbeck. Her husband is the owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team. It is not the only coincidence. As fate would have it, in fact, the woman's 21 year old son had just gone blind due to the same disease. Corinne Grousbeck today administers one of the oldest institutions for blind in the country. And so Louis Corbett was able to travel with his family on the other side of the globe to fulfill one of his greatest desires: to see the game of his NBA team. Wednesday night he sat with the players on the bench at the TD Garden in Boston and was able to embrace his idols. A reminder that even the blind can never erase.

My personal opinion:

I chose this story because can be a source of learning for me and for others: sometimes fate is cruel, but the tenacity and the strength with which Louis has achieved his desires teaches us that a winner is just a dreamer who he never stopped dreaming, and that, for a day, a hero can be also a simple child.