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Featured
in the
October 2007 Advocate!
Brailleiant is proud to offer quality custom Braille jewelry,
braille shirts, clothing and other products. The
inspiration behind this website originated with a remarkable and
beautiful little girl - my niece, Sophie. Our family is very
grateful that God has chosen to bless us with such a precious
angel.
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Sophie was
born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 28, 1996 with a rare
genetic disorder called Fraser Syndrome. One aspect of Fraser
Syndrome is a condition called Cryptopthalmos, which means
“hidden eye.” |
Sophie’s Cryptopthalmos meant that she had skin
covering both eyes. During the first 18 months of her life, many
surgeries were performed attempting to give Sophie a chance to
see.
Although
the surgeries may have been unsuccessful, Sophie has not allowed
her blindness to become a handicap. Instead, she has
accomplished much more than many average youngsters of her age.
Her extraordinary pursuit of learning will no doubt be an
awesome life to witness. While Sophie is only ten years old, she
is an absolutely brilliant student with an amazing zest for
life. She is extremely passionate about her faith and is forever
collecting money for the less fortunate.
Sophie loves to read books and she is an amazing writer of
stories and poems. Hopefully, one day she will share her
inspirational stories with people around the world. A few of
Sophie’s recent endeavors include Scuba diving, snow skiing and
rock climbing. Sophie has been chosen to compete in the National
Braille Challenge Competition for three consecutive years in Los
Angeles, California. She placed second in the nation at the
Braille Challenge two years ago, an honor she is proud to claim.
It has been one of the greatest joys in my life
to step back and observe Sophie as she develops into a
brilliant, wonderful young girl. She never ceases to amaze us
with her achievements!
Sophie’s incredible, nurturing mother and my sister, Allison,
has allowed me to share one of Sophie’s poems. Allison explained
that Sophie wrote this poem on Thanksgiving morning after
hearing the song “I Can Only Imagine” for the first time. It
only took Sophie a few minutes to write the following:
My Eyes
I feel like I could run, run I say and be free
To a land where happiness is
I’m running over deep blue sky with those eyes which
Do not see. I have eyes inside of me.
They see what you do not.
They see deeper than that. They see the truth.
They see the soul within you.
They shine bright just like a light, soft and gentle,
sweet and kind.
Trying to show the way for you.
by Sophie
November 22, 2006
10 years
old
‘BRAILLE’iant! began while I was trying to come up with a
Christmas gift for my sweet Sophie. I thought a shirt with her
name on it in Braille would be just the ticket. One thing lead
to another, and, with Sophie’s Braille expertise, she has helped
me create cute, useful gifts and accessories for the blind or
visually impaired. My goal is to promote Braille awareness as
well as make available to the blind or visually impaired, fun,
sassy items that they can actually read and use. Not only will
you be helping with awareness but it’s fun to sport your name in
Braille on tee shirts and jewelry. Thank you, Sophie, for
helping me with this process!!
To help
support Braille and blind awareness, ‘BRAILLE’iant! will donate
$1 per necklace or bracelet sold to the Volunteers Service
Council of L.S.V.I. (Louisiana School for the Visually
Impaired). The Volunteer Service Council is a wonderful
organization which raises money for the students and programs at
LSVI. Money raised goes towards work study programs, purchasing
uniforms and supplies as well as helps to fund recreational
trips for the students. Thank you for your support!
Favorite
Sites:
www.opulentmetals.com
www.bayouvintage.com
www.seedlings.org
www.thebaglady.net
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