Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page and thank you to those who also supported us last year. 

Three years ago, aged 15, Tom was told he has Stargardt.  It was a huge shock.  In fact between 1 in 30 and 1 in 50 of us carry the condition and most never know it. 

Stargardt is progressive, usually diagnosed in childhood and affects the central vision leading to difficulty reading, watching TV, recognising faces etc as cells in the macular (part of the retina) die. Similar to Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Tom's vision has deteriorated. He is now 18 and unable to drive. There is no treatment or cure. Instead of helplessly watching our son go blind, we are raising money for vital research into drug, gene and stem cell therapy.  These treatments are currently in human trials for the treatment of Stargardt's and AMD. Moorfield's Hospital tell us there is a lot of promising research being done and breakthroughs are being made.  It's possible, with your support, that Tom will receive a treatment in his lifetime.

Life isn't fair and so, encouraged by Tom's bravery, we are trying to even things up a bit for the 6,000 people living with Stargardt in the UK and 30,000 in the USA (11 million with AMD in the US).