Eric was born in August 2018 in Valladolid, Spain, and was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome type 1B in September 2019. Despite being born with bilateral profound deafness, he passed postnatal tests, which delayed his diagnosis for several months.

The unofficial diagnosis came from his mother, Tamara, and from that instinct that only mothers have. The official came after genetic testing, confirming our worst fears. It was possibly the hardest moment of our lives, but at the same time it was the end of a long process of uncertainty. The challenge already had a name, and we knew what we were facing. We quickly understood, as parents, what we had to do: fight for our son to have the best opportunities in life, and look for tools to raise money and support science so that the cure arrive as soon as possible.

Eric received his bilateral cochlear implants at the age of 16 months, in December 2019, and they were activated in January 2020. As luck would have it, COVID pandemic came into our lives two months later, and became a nightmare for hearing rehabilitation that Eric needed so much. The whole process was delayed, and it took a long time to get up to speed.

Right now Eric perceives sounds very well, and is beginning to have a reasonable, albeit basic, level of understanding, and is beginning to express himself orally with difficulty in pronouncing almost all consonants, using a limited number of simple words and sentences. The journey has been long. He improves slowly, but constantly, and we know  he will get there.

He loves puzzles, drawing, construction games and, in general, anything that challenges him. Restless and full of energy, he is a volcano in constant eruption. He runs, jumps and faces everything with an infectious bravery that keeps us going.

For Eric, and for children like him, we encourage you to help us in this fight.