Oak Park family appeals for support

VisionWalk raises awareness for eye disease


LOOKING AHEAD—The Wolinsky family of Oak Park prepares for VisionWalk on the UCLA campus last year. Sixteenyearold Jessie Wolinsky has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease.

LOOKING AHEAD—The Wolinsky family of Oak Park prepares for VisionWalk on the UCLA campus last year. Sixteenyearold Jessie Wolinsky has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease.


The Wolinksy family of Oak Park hopes the community will once again support them when they walk in the second annual VisionWalk at 9 a.m. Sun., Oct. 26 at the UCLA campus.

Last year, Marsha and Fred, along with their children Matthew and Jessie, walked the 5K course with friends and family, raising money to help find a cure for eye diseases like Jessie’s.

Jessie, who turns 16 in November, has retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited, incurable eye disease that causes the retina to degenerate, resulting in a progressive loss of vision. The Oak Park High School sophomore and her family formed “Jessie’s Sight Savers,” a team of walkers, to participate in last year’s walkathon. Everyone wore teal shirts, emblazoned with the team name, that the Wolinskys had made for the occasion.

“We’re looking to outdo last year,” said Marsha Wolinsky, chair of the 2008 VisionWalk in L.A. “We raised $40,000, had 75 walkers and won the T-shirt contest.”

Sponsored by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a Marylandbased nonprofit that supports eye disease research, awareness and fundraising walks are held nationwide. Several advancements in treatment of vision diseases have been made in the past year, including gene therapy which has helped three nearly blind young adults gain sight.

“Please help us make a difference for all those who suffer from retinal degenerative diseases. It means the world to us,” Jessie Wolinsky said.

Jessie, who was diagnosed when she was 6 years old, has learned how to overcome some sight difficulties by sitting at the front of the classroom at school and using a flashlight at night.

“Giving is a phenomenal experience for all of us, and we, too, are the recipients of its immeasurable gifts,” Marsha Wolinsky said. “We are deeply grateful for the support. There is a cure in sight.”

The family event includes food, games and entertainment. It is wheelchair and strollerfriendly. To sign up or make a donation, call (818) 469-1976 or visit www.visionwalk.org.

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