Five-year-old Lizzy Myers of Ohio has a genetic condition that will likely cause her to go blind. Her parents developed a “visual bucket list” so she could see the world.
On Wednesday, Lizzy crossed another big thing off her list — meeting Pope Francis in Rome, reports CBS News correspondent Debora Patta.
It was a big day for a little girl, but Lizzy took it in stride. She even brought a gift for the pontiff — a tiny piece of precious meteorite.
The meeting with the pope was the highlight of a week of sight-seeing in Rome. Her father, Steve, was understandably nervous.
“It wasn’t originally something that we thought would even be possible, but now that it’s here, my stomach’s a little bit upset,” he said, laughing.
As they headed off to the Vatican, her father secretly wished for more than just an audience with the pope.
“We are definitely hoping for a miracle,” he said.
Lizzy was initially caught up in the excitement of the Pope’s traditional arrival. She enthusiastically waved her meteorite at him, seeming a little perplexed that he did not respond immediately.
Then, like any 5-year-old, she became restless during the pope’s address, even a little bored.
But that special moment did eventually arrive when Pope Francis hugged and kissed Lizzy, then touched her face and laid his hands over her eyes.
Lizzy’s parents have not yet told her that one day she will lose her sight. As a result of her rare genetic disorder — Usher syndrome type 2 — she already wears a hearing aid, but as she approaches adolescence, she will probably go blind.
Lizzy’s parents are making sure that she has lifelong memories to recall when she can no longer see. They want her to appreciate the simple things — like picking flowers, looking through a telescope or marveling at a rainbow — and, of course, the audience with the pope, which Lizzy’s visibly moved mother, Christine, said exceeded her expectations.
“He said he would pray for me and asked me to pray for him,” Christine Myers said. She added later that she felt an overwhelming sense of peace.
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