Keri Kelly is your average nine year old girl from Buncrana, Co. Donegal, aside from the fact that she is blind. She was born with a non-hereditary condition called optic nerve hypoplasia, which means that her optic nerves simply never grew. 

A revolutionary treatment based in China could give Keri her eyesight, a gift that her mother wants desperately for her daughter. However, despite the fact that Keri is classified as an ideal candidate for this stem-cell procedure, its 30k euro price tag could be a major obstacle.

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To help raise funds for Keri, her mother, Tracey, has agreed to jump out of a parachute in a sponsored event, something she is frightened of, but will do for her daughter. The Irish Examiner reported Tracey saying, “I’m absolutely terrified. I would never have dreamt of jumping out of a plane but I will do anything it takes for Keri to see. That’s all I want,” in regards to her upcoming leap of faith.

If the family raises the funds for the surgery, they will spend 24 days in China for the operation, scheduled for August, 2012. In addition to the sponsored parachute event, a special bank account fund has been set up at the Buncrana branch of AIB, along with a facebook page to spread the word.

Little Keri says that she wants to see three things: first, her mother’s face, then a rainbow, and finally, the moon, according to the Irish Examiner, “because her sister told her it was made of cheese.”

Visit their Facebook page here

If you would like to donate to help Keri Kelly, you can call the  Buncrana Branch of AIB where an account fund called "Keri's Search for Sight" has been set up.

Buncrana Branch of AIB: 074 9361087 or 074 9361395.

Account number: 06593158

Sort code: 93-72-90