When 11-year old MichaelCaddigan was diagnosed in January 2008, his keratoconus was a minimal disability in his right eye. By April 2009, the Long Island, NY, nativeʼs vision had deterio-rated, and he developed KC in his left eye, as well. And on top of that, he was contact-lens intolerant. His doctor told the Caddigan family that Michaelʼs only hope was a corneal transplant and that he could no longer help them.

"With a broken heart and no where else to turn, I found the Na¬tional Keratoconus Foundation," Michaelʼs mother, Maryalice Caddi-gan, says. "I canʼt say enough about the heartfelt concern and kindness I was given on each and every phone call."

A nurse herself, Caddigan cred¬its NKCF Director Cathy Warren, RN, with giving her the assistance and much-needed resources to get help for her son.
The Caddigans have trips planned to the Boston Foundation for Sight for Michael to be fitted for scleral lenses, and to Germany, where he plans to undergo corneal cross-linking surgery.

"One hundred percent of this in¬tervention is because of Cathy," Caddigan says. "Aside from the fact that she has been such a sup¬port to me - even on my worst days when I thought I would com¬pletely crumble - she has put us in touch with doctors, hospital facil-ities and even helped me find a hotel in Germany.

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