DAD’S MAGIC TRIP FOR TEEN AMELIA AS HER SIGHT FAILS
AFAMILY took a once-inbought with them – the weather. a-lifetime trip to AmerTroy said: “The first week was ica before their teenage lovely but the second week the daughter goes blind. weather from Wales followed us Troy Elliott decided to surprise over. But it didn’t dampen our spirhis 14-year-old daughter Amelia, its.” known as Milly, with a holiday to While over there the family visFlorida over Christmas – to give ited all the Universal Studios her memories before she loses her theme parks, with Milly getting to sight. spend time with her favourite
Teenager Milly has a condition characters – Harry Potter and called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), SpongeBob SquarePants. leaving her with only 10% vision She also got to visit the Kennedy and no peripheral vision. She is Sp Space Centre so she could also night blind. se see the star display – as she is
But after a trip to see nig night blind she hasn’t seen doctors six months ago, th the stars before. Troy, 46, decided to do It was the perfect trip for something she would M Milly, said her dad. always remember before “We did all the parks – lither sight er goes altogether. erally all we did was ask
“We went to see a specialMilly what she wanted to ist in Cardiff and they said do. She’s a bit of a daredevil her eyesight was getting so anything frightening she worse,” he said. “I remember r lo loves it. Anything that having a conversation where e w would give her a fright, that they said in people with Milw was her. ly’s condition there’s a good “Unfortunately we don’t chance that girls will lose know when her eyesight is most of their sight before they going to go. So we’re trying leave school.” to make those memories
So Troy decided to take the for her so she can live off whole family, including his those. It was a case of ‘let’s two daughters who have get it done’. We haven’t been on moved out of the family Ebbw Vale holiday all together for a few years home, on the trip of a lifetime to now. But after all the indulgences the United States. it’s back to training.”
But the incredible surprise was Milly and her dad have their nearly ruined the day before the eyes set on a new goal – the Parachildren found out. lympic Games.
Troy was completing the final Troy said: “Milly trains with Disrun of a 1,664-mile challenge to ability Sport Wales in discus and raise money for RP Fighting Blindshot put. We’re hoping this year is ness, a charity which has helped going to be amazing for her.” his daughter, at Bryn Bach Park in Tredegar, when a boy nearly let slip about the trip.
Troy said: “On the final run one of the boys turned round and said: ‘When are you flying out to Florida?’ The children looked at me with a smile on their faces but I said ‘No.’ No.
“We woke up on Christmas Eve morning and we always give them pyjamas to wear that night and in there we put the flight tickets. We were leaving at 4.30am Christmas morning so they didn’t have a lot of time to sort everything out.”
After the party of eight left Heathrow Airport, they had a special fortnight together.
But there was one thing they