Fighting Blindness collaborates with Victoria Smurfit to unveil an impactful charity animation. In this heartwarming video, you'll discover the inspiring partnership between Fighting Blindness and renowned actress Victoria Smurfit, as they join forces to raise awareness and support for those affected by blindness. Through captivating animation by a Trinity College Dublin researcher, Laura Finnegan, this charitable initiative aims to shed light on the research work undertaken by the charity and highlight the importance of continued research and funding.
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Voiceover: Victoria Smurfit
Animation & Scientific Advisor: Dr. Laura Finnegan
Scriptwriter: Dr. Neil Ward
Editor: Claire Duggan
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Fighting Blindness has launched a video explaining the ‘new miracle’ of scientific breakthroughs giving hope to those living with ‘irreversible’ sight loss.
The animation was illustrated by a young scientist working at the Smurfit Genetic Institute in Trinity College Dublin, Dr. Laura Finnegan, who is currently identifying the genes causing many inherited retinal conditions. The short film is narrated by Irish actor, Victoria Smurfit, who is mother to Evie Baxter who is living with such a sight loss condition. Smurfit has fulfilled the roles of mother, financial benefactor and ambassador for Fighting Blindness - as well as starring roles in movies and television.
Learn more about our work: www.FightingBlindness.ie
Music: Inspirational (Royalty Free Music) - "The Introvert" By Michael Kobrin
Transcript:
We often think of ‘miracles’. The Bible reports the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida. Science has created the new ‘miracle’. Research is making the impossible possible.
The people living with sight loss have their hopes and faith in science; to restore sight - and new treatments will give certainty in day-to-day life. Everyone is on a different journey. That is why we are Fighting Blindness.
Cures are now possible. Our research teams found the first gene associated with sight loss in 1989. In 2003 it cost $3billion to map the human genome - all those little bits of code that make us who we are. Now, it costs less than $300. An unimaginable development in only 20 years.
Fighting Blindness was established in 1983; when all of this was a dream. A small group of people who had inherited retinal degeneration gathered to support each other to live a better life. They learned that scientific research could discover the genetic basis of their sight loss - so they funded studies looking at family trees. In Ireland it was common to have large families - and so the first gene was found. It was global news.
More than 300 genes have now been identified that impact the progressive loss of vision. And from this, therapies and cures are being found. We can speed up this process, so people will see a miracle in their lifetime.
The cure is waiting, we shouldn’t be.
Please donate today at FightingBlindnesss.ie