The Wilmoth Family at the 2020 Annual Gala
Imagine looking to your 7-month-old baby's eyes as a doctor says: "It's glaucoma." This is what happened to Charlie and Cathy Wilmoth.
"We didn't even have time for it to sink in," recalls Charlie, who soon learned that the pressure in Christopher's eyes was quite elevated. Fortunately, the Wilmoths also learned that young eyeballs are malleable. After two microsurgeries, the pressure finally came down.
But managing Christopher's disease was not always easy. He had to have drops in one of his eyes two times a day. At 10 months old, he had to be fitted for glasses. Before he was 3 years old, he was examined every two months and went under anesthesia a dozen times. "Only once did he pull off his glasses," recalls Charlie. "He was an incredibly good patient."
Charlie is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley and he knows a good investment when he sees one. Along with being generous donors, Charlie and Cathy have also furthered their investment by becoming members of The Blanche Matthias Society.
He and Cathy are confident in their support of Glaucoma Research Foundation. "There's nothing discovered yet where you can snap your fingers and say you're cured," Charlie says, "but Glaucoma Research Foundation is working on it."
At the end of the day, the Wilmoths have hope for Christopher's future. "Chris is now 17, and during his lifetime, perhaps as an adult, there will be an intervention that will keep his disease from getting worse," says Charlie. "So he can see his kids play basketball and lacrosse and experience all the joys that we've had as his parents."
To learn more about ways you, like the Wilmoths, can extend your support of GRF's work, contact Nancy Graydon at ngraydon@glaucoma.org or 415-986-3162 ext. 231.