Ben was born with unilateral anophthalmia, a rare birth defect that left him without one eye. When he was about 18 months old, we began treatment at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and ever since, he has been surrounded by an incredible team of specialists who have cared for him like family.

Over the years, Ben has undergone a successful skin graft eye socket implant performed by his pediatric ophthalmology surgeon, and he has worked through more than 30 conformers with the help of his amazing ocularist. Today, he proudly wears a full prosthetic eye, and we continue to work closely with the UPMC ophthalmology team and his ocularist to improve his lid ptosis while carefully monitoring and protecting the vision in his healthy eye with safety glasses and ongoing care.

Despite having unilateral vision, Ben is the strongest, bravest, funniest, and smartest little 4-year-old we know. He never lets his disability slow him down, and he amazes us every single day with his resilience, confidence, and joy.

We are beyond grateful for UPMC Children’s and Ben’s entire care team. As parents, there is so much comfort in knowing that we are surrounded by professionals who will continue to care for and support Ben for many years to come.

Please consider donating to support UPMC Children’s Hospital and help provide research, treatment, and compassionate care for more children like Ben and for families navigating these extremely rare diagnoses. We truly don’t know where we would be without these healthcare providers.

Thank you for supporting children like Ben.