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DALLAS — Take the Stage will roll out a royal red carpet for Madi Carlsson and a host of princesses during a Princess Tea Party fundraiser Dec. 6.
Slated to attend are Cinderella, Pocahontas, Bell and Rapunzel, but the guest of honor, Madi, will receive full proceeds from the tea party to help her and her Kingston Township family purchase eSight eyewear to correct her 2600/20 to 20/10 vision.
Twelve-year-old Madi is legally blind.
“She can’t see more than four feet ahead with her right eye and about a foot with her left,” said Alison Carlsson, Madi’s mother.
Madi was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which is the underdevelopment of optic nerves.
Tapping forward
A lack of sight did not prevent the young girl from learning to tap dance at Take the Stage, a center for performing arts.
Caitlyn Metz, owner of Take the Stage, has worked with Madi for four years, teaching her to tap dance by sound.
“Stop Shuffle Step Toe” is Madi’s favorite dance move.
Nearly a month ago, Alison and Madi arrived at class with news of specialized eyewear that can dramatically improve Madi’s vision.
Metz was thrilled for the family.
But the price tag of $15,000, combined with the family’s health insurance company’s refusal to cover the product, almost ended the story.
Metz and her mother, Christina, hoped they could help the family by holding a Princess Tea Party at three different times, 1, 3 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Take the Stage, 22 Rice St.
The response has been overwhelming, Metz said.
“The 1 p.m. time is almost full,” Metz said. “We still have room in the 3 and 5 p.m. times. We are receiving calls daily about the event.”
The Princess Tea Party will offer guests a chance to socialize with various fairytale princesses while enjoying small finger sandwiches, small desserts, tea, lemonade and water, Alison said.
Admission is $10 for children 13 and younger and $15 for adults.
Due to limited seating, reservations are required and may be made by calling Take the Stage at 570-690-5439.
The event would not have been possible without several area businesses volunteering services and products, Caitlyn Metz said.
eSight
Alison first heard about eSight through a local news broadcast about a person in Monroe County who acquired the ocular device. She then researched the Canadian-based company and its products.
eSight eyewear features a camera on the front of the nose piece. Images are transferred to small computer screens on the inside of the lenses, providing the wearer with the close-up perception necessary to see things never seen before.
Alison and her husband, John, made the decision to arrange a demonstration with an eSight representative at a hotel in New Jersey.
When Madi put on the eyewear for the first time, she said, “Whoa!”
For the first time in her life, Madi saw her dad walk into the room. She saw the hotel’s automatic doors. She saw trees and flowers from a distance.
“It was out of this world,” Madi said.
The eyewear will allow Madi to do things others take for granted, such as go to the movies, Alison said.
Madi attends Dallas Middle School and loves to read. She is also a Girl Scout and loves to dance and helps younger students at Take the Stage. She has three younger siblings, Emmalee, 10; Jacob, 7; and Charlotte, 2.
“She is an inspiration to us all,” Caitlyn Metz said.
