Children wish to go to the ballet during the holiday season, and one girl always dreamed of it.
Lily Lueders, the Austin, Texas, native, was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia when she was three months old. Now, she turned 9 years old.
She left completely blind from her right eye and limited vision (20/800) in her left. Due to a small malformation of the optic nerve in the brain, Lily has difficulties with nystagmus (involuntary shaking of the eyes) and issues with depth perception.
PEOPLE talked with Lily’s mom, Kimmy Lueders, who talks about her daughter and said: “She has always done better than we could have imagined.”
Lily and other visually disabled members of the community and their families were invited to attend a live performance of The Nutcracker called the “Unseen Ballet”. The program was sponsored by Dell Technologies and its partners, eSight and Ballet Austin at The Long Center in Austin.
The advanced assistive eyewear technology made Lily and other guests dream come true to see the classic, Christmas-themed ballet for the first time. Using a cutting-edge camera, smart algorithms and high-resolution screens, eSight creates a crystal clear, real-time image of what is in front of the user.
“As sighted parents, we cannot fathom missing that sense,” says Lily’s mom, Kimmy. “But we have always strived to provide early childhood support and today she is thriving.
She confuses me because the girl can accidentally bump into a pole one day (if she isn’t paying attention), but pick up a quarter off the sidewalk the next day. The truth is, we have full expectations and faith in her and, in turn, she is one of the bravest, most independent people I know.
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Kimmy and Dustin Lueders noticed a problem in Lily’s eyes because her optic nerve wasn’t fully formed, Lily’s brain receives fewer “pixels” or pictures collected by the eyeball. Glasses did not help correct this impairment, though she wears them to protect her eyes. Lily currently attends occupational and speech therapy four times a week to promote self-awareness.
Her parents arranged sensory activities and tools such as weighted blankets, and oral chews to help with cognitive focus and to fend off “stemming activities.”
Kimmy says the first eSight fitting was very cool: Lily was able to read letters off a vision chart across the room for the first time. The technology has many remarkable features.
“The first couple tries at home, she would have these moments where words would fail and she would just let out this excited giggle,” says Kimmy. “It is the sweetest thing for a mother to experience her child experiencing the world like never before.”
“Her life is not solely defined by lack of sight. We don’t exhaust ourselves trying to find a cure. She navigates life with such strength and determination … eSight adds a huge element of mobility, and the ability to experience more of the world outside of the school building. That’s huge.”
“Lily was delighted by the ballet. She is not one to sit still, but there were a calmness and easy stillness to her during the performance,” says her mom, Kimmy. “It was the most impactful thing she has experienced with the eSight glasses.
She was enamored with the beautiful twirling dancers, of course, but to my surprise, she appreciated the entire set production the most. She loved seeing the details on the edges of the stage and the change of each set. I think the snow scene was her favorite.
The giant beautiful snowflakes and falling snow. It was magic!”
Kimmy says the Lueders’s Christmas plans are family-centered. “We have talked about how special of a night it was for all of us many times since the show,” says Kimmy. “Lily is a very special little girl who deserves the world. eSight and Dell helped make that world a little more accessible.”
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