‘Put Kaleb in your prayers’: A mother holds her faith as her child loses his sight
Kaleb Oliva was just 2 years old when his parents noticed the first warning sign: an unusual eye movement, his eyes drifting sideways when he looked.
There were other, perhaps less alarming signs, like his frequent collisions with household objects, including a white wall in the entryway. “He would come running and always hit himself,” his mother, Yisel Herrera, tells el Nuevo Herald.
At first the accidents could be blamed on his restless nature, something typical for his age, until the true cause emerged and shook the family’s life in southwest Miami.
Doctors found a seven-centimeter tumor on Kaleb’s optic nerve, causing widespread damage. But his parents had to be prepared for even more troubling news.
The fight begins
Shortly before the MRI scan detected the tumor in 2020, the ophthalmologist had warned that Kaleb’s optic nerve was atrophied.
The damage spread quickly to both eyes. The boy lost vision on the left side, while the right eye retains only about 20 percent vision.
That means one half of Kaleb’s world remains in shadow; the other can still recognize a face if it comes close enough.
His peripheral vision, however, is gone entirely. Kaleb is now 7 years old and likes to spend time at home, Herrera says. He has memorized the spaces, the location of everything, and no longer has the accidents he used to.
After the tumor diagnosis, the child underwent chemotherapy for a year and two months to try to shrink the mass. Surgery has never been the best option.
“If they operate he could become completely blind, and the doctors also say his condition has no cure,” the mother explains. Chemotherapy reduced the tumor by almost two centimeters. Kaleb then had about three stable years without treatment.
But things changed in January of this year, when another harmful mass was detected in the thalamus area of the brain, on the left side. That same month they began treatment — nine months of pills that produced no results.
A beacon of light along the way
At two and a half years old, Kaleb began receiving assistance from Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an organization dedicated to supporting blind people and those with visual disabilities.
The organization offers education and essential preparation to people facing limitations like Kaleb’s, whose condition may worsen over time, according to diagnoses. From Miami Lighthouse, Betty Chavarría highlighted the boy’s “truly inspiring” journey.
“What could have been a story defined by hardship has become one of resilience, faith and hope,” Chavarría said in nominating Kaleb for Wish Book.
“His vision has continued to deteriorate and doctors fear he may lose it completely. Yet even in the face of that reality, Kaleb faces the future with extraordinary strength.
She also says that Kaleb “is thriving at school and acquiring the tools needed to grow and develop his independence.” Chavarría emphasizes the child’s “determination and positivity.”
Yisel Herrera tells Nuevo Herald that her son has started learning Braille thanks to Miami Lighthouse’s school. She also expresses her gratitude for the organization’s support. “My biggest worry is that Kaleb will leave there to face another school after he finishes third grade,” Herrera says.
For now, the child is in second grade. Learning Braille is a slow process, like learning another language, and Kaleb started from scratch. The Braille classes began “about a year ago,” according to his mother.
The school also allows students to practice soccer, a sport Kaleb enjoys. Shyly, the boy admits that between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, his favorite is the Portuguese striker.
When Yisel Herrera asks her son what he wants to be when he grows up, Kaleb replies, wrapped in his father’s arms: “I don’t know.”
“God will do a miracle”
Kaleb’s vision loss is advanced, and doctors repeat that his condition has no cure. His mother, originally from Camagüey, Cuba, has lived in the U.S. for 13 years and thanks “this great country” for the assistance opportunities her son has received.
Despite the prognosis, Yisel Herrera clings to hope for her child’s future. “I know that at some point God will perform a miracle and he will be healed,” she says.
Beyond any material support they might receive, her greatest wish is that the community stand with her in faith. “What I would most like is for people to put the child in their prayers,” she says.
Kaleb currently receives IV immunotherapies every three weeks for up to a year at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and, so far, has been able to obtain the insurance coverage needed for all treatments.
“Anyone who feels that Kaleb’s story has touched their heart, please keep the child in your prayers, so that God continues to give us strength and we can keep fighting for our little giant in this long battle life has given us,” Herrera asks.
For its part, Miami Lighthouse asks the community to support the child with some items he may need, including: sunglasses for outdoor use, baseball caps, athletic clothing (size 8/10), a large-screen iPad and a Brailler machine.
How to help
To help this Wish Book nominee and more than 150 others who are in need this year:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or email Wishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans
▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
