Five-year old Lizzy Myers had the opportunity to meet and receive a blessing from Pope Francis while she was in Rome with her family. Unknown to Lizzy, she suffers from Usher’s Syndrome type II, which will eventually leave her blind and deaf. Currently, Lizzy wears hearing aids but her family says they will begin to explain everything to her as she starts asking questions. Lizzy and her family have set up a visual bucket list where they hope Lizzy will be able to see the big and small things this world has to offer.
Lizzy’s story spread when she was at the Warren Rupp Observatory in Bellville, Ohio to see the telescopes and stars. A small article in the local newspaper was then written about this experience, and little did the Myers family and Lizzy know what would happen next! Turkish Airlines got wind of the story and decided to fly the family to any destination in the world; Lizzy and her family chose Rome. Upon meeting Pope Francis, Lizzy was asked by the Pope to pray for him, as he would be praying for her. Lizzy gave the Pope a piece of meteorite she was given from the observatory, one of the first places Lizzy visited.
The other items on the visual bucket list are unknown to the public, but Lizzy’s parents want to make sure she sees the small things in life as well. Some of those include bonfires, fireflies, and a trip around the U.S. when she is older.