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A Daughter’s Vision for her Dad
As a little girl, Diana Whitlach marveled at her father’s technical talents and skill with his hands. As a specialty locksmith, David was called upon by banks to open safety deposit boxes when people lost theirs key or passed away. He also worked as an electronic technician, testing everything from circuit boards to false teeth.
Unfortunately, XLRP runs in the family, and Diana was diagnosed with the condition about 10 years ago. The good news is that her vision loss is not severe. Women are carriers of XLRP and usually unaffected or mildly so. Nighttime and dark settings prove the most challenging for Diana at this point, but she adds that her husband, Joe, provides wonderful support in situations where she needs it. Diana and her family have been involved with the Foundation Fighting Blindness for several years. She even remembers stuffing envelopes with her mother, Pam, for a fundraising event in the late 1980s. In recent years, Diana has become more active in fundraising through VisionWalk, and even gave out Foundation wristbands as her wedding favor in 2005. “I’m not a fundraising kind of a gal, but this cause is too important to me to ignore,” she says. “I am willing to fight tooth and nail to find a cure for my dad.” Diana and her parents are excited about attending the 2010 Los Angeles Dining in the Dark. “I finally get to learn what is like for my dad when he eats,” Diana chuckles. While Diana follows all the research closely — she especially enjoys attending science presentations — she is most interested in treatments that can restore vision. Diana has two young boys and says, “I’d love for my dad to see what his grandkids look like. That’s why I do as much as I can in fundraising. We need to find a cure as soon as we can.” |
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