Adele Yeoman, 38, from Torquay, was horrified when she found her child was being bullied...
Looking at my little boy, something didn’t look quite right.
My son Harvey was 10 months old, and every time Ilooked at him, his right eye seemed off-centre.
‘I think Harvey has asquint,’ I said, taking him to the GP.
Referred to Torbay Hospital, Iassumed Harvey would need apatch to correct the squint. ‘He will probably need glasses every six months,’ the hospital optician told us.
And further testing revealed Harvey’s sight loss was worse than anticipated.
With just me and Harvey at home, Itook my dad Terry, 64, for moral support in December 2009 to get Harvey’s results.
‘Harvey can’t see further than 10cm in front of him,’ the consultant said.
Harvey was diagnosed with myopia –atype of short– sightedness that can cause major sight loss. The doctors were unsure of the cause.
He had several complex eye issues, including problems with his rods and retinas and tilted discs.
I felt myself go numb and leaving the room, Ibroke down in Dad’s arms.
All the times I’ve taken him to feed the ducks, he can’t see it, I thought –I felt so guilty.
Harvey started on a -2 prescription, but over the years this progressed to -9.
And going through primary school, he hadn’t been registered as being vision impaired by the hospital –I didn’t understand why –and he really struggled.
He was still confident, caring and empathic. He loved reptiles –his sights set on becoming aherpetologist.
But while his glasses had helped, they didn’t give him clear vision.
Writing with his face centimetres from the paper, Harvey would end up with headaches from straining.
It wasn’t until 2018 that Harvey was finally registered vision impaired, after atrip to our high street optician.
We got a Buddy Dog
And not long after Harvey was registered, Guide Dogs got in touch, offering us their support.
They have been fantastic, teaching Harvey road safety and cooking skills – like using knives.
They even taught him how to use acane in case he needed it in the future.
And in 2021, we began the process of getting aBuddy Dog via Guide Dogs –adog that helps children with vision impairments build confidence, friendship and trust.
And Harvey really needed it. Because in 2022, Ifound out Harvey was being bullied.
Hearing from another parent that Harvey had been attacked on the playground, I raced up to the school.
He’d been cruelly punched in the face –we felt so let down by the school.
‘I want to write aletter to the school, Mum,’ Harvey told me when we got home.
He wrote two –one stating he felt
