This Christmas, please help restore hope for someone whose world has been turned upside down.

Last year, everything changed for Richard in an instant.

Richard has Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy – a rare genetic disease that can cause sudden and irreversible sight loss. He tells us: “I have relatives who are blind because of the condition, but I never thought it would happen to me.”

One morning, as he was working from home, he noticed a small speck on his glasses. He recalls: “I tried to rub it off, but it wouldn’t. Then I realised…it was really happening to me – I was losing my sight.”

Over just a few short weeks, Richard’s sight rapidly deteriorated. His computer screen magnification went from 200% to 800%. He could no longer read emails or safely cross the road.

I had no central vision. Within two months, I lost my sight. My whole world completely fell to pieces. I truly felt my life was over.

But a friend reached out to Kent Association for the Blind – and that’s when hope began to return.

Richard met Scott, KAB’s Eye Clinic Liaison Officer, at the hospital. “When he reached out, I felt everything was going to be OK. Someone was listening and fighting my corner – chasing doctors and getting me fast-tracked to Moorfields Eye Hospital.”

Next came Hazel, KAB’s Rehabilitation Worker. “She taught me cane training, how and when to cross the road safely, and showed me that life was going to be OK. She helped me learn how to do the everyday tasks I used to do – like using the washing machine, with tactile stickers on the buttons.”

Richard benefitted from KAB’s counselling service when he needed emotional support most, and from our Assistive Technology Team who gave him training to use a computer with specialist software.

I never thought I’d be here today. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for KAB.

Please help someone like Richard find hope again.

Your gift could help fund the vital services people depend on when their world has turned upside down, like counselling, assistive technology and social groups.

Despite a challenging few years, Richard continues to face life with remarkable determination. With the right support, he’s rebuilding confidence and proving what’s possible – most impressively by completing a tandem skydive this year to raise over £2,000 for KAB. What an achievement!