York: Girl born without eyes 'beautiful inside and out'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-68470633#0

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Margot's parents say their daughter is a happy child despite her condition

The parents of a one-year-old girl who was born without eyes have said she "has changed our lives for the better" and helped them "appreciate life".

Margot was born with a rare condition called bilateral anophthalmia, meaning her eyes and optic nerves never developed in the womb.

Parents Laura and John Duffy-Moss, from York, were supported by the Guide Dogs charity to help with her development.

"[She] is beautiful inside and out. She's so happy," Ms Duffy-Moss said.

Margot's parents did not initially notice their newborn daughter's condition at the time, although her birth had been "fairly dramatic", Ms Duffy-Moss said.

"John delivered her at home on the floor unexpectedly - that wasn't something that was planned," the 37-year-old school administrator recalled.

"The labour came on quite quickly but our labour ward was full and they couldn't accept me."

Mr Duffy-Moss, 33, a manager at York Theatre Royal, said: "They put a midwife on speaker and she talked me and Laura through what we had to do, basically."

Margot has required more than 100 medical procedures

It was not until Margot was four days old that she was diagnosed with bilateral anophthalmia.

Ms Duffy-Moss said: "It sounds such a horrendous thing to say now because Margot is so beautiful, and she has changed our lives for the better, but at the time it was extraordinarily traumatic, the whole situation feels like a trauma."

Guide Dogs has been supporting Margot since she was just 12 weeks old, making her one of the youngest children the charity has worked with.

After contacting the charity for help, senior habilitation specialist Kate Reed helped Margot to learn to eat, stand up and recognise sounds.

"We all learn from seeing things usually, so it's tricky for Margot how to learn about the world in Margot's way with no sight," said Mr Duffy-Moss.

On her first birthday in October, Margot fed herself some birthday cake.

"For Margot to feel something, grab it and bring it to her mouth was amazing, as we were told at one point that she would have to be fed for many years," said Ms Duffy-Moss.

"Now her favourite thing to do is eat."

The Duffy-Moss family thanked the Guide Dogs charity for supporting Margot and her development

Margot's condition is incurable and affects just one in 100,000 babies.

She has surgery every three months to clean her eye sockets and will be fitted with long term prosthetic eyes when she is three years old.

So far she's had more than 100 medical procedures.

Ms Duffy-Moss said: "I think that she has taught us so much, she has changed our world in a way that we appreciate life and appreciate the very small things far more than we previously did."

The couple's first child, Bernadette, does not have the condition and they are now expecting their third child.

"After multiple genetic tests with Margot we know there's a one in 20 chance of our next child being born with the same condition," said Mr Duffy-Moss.

"But this doesn't change anything for us. We're embracing whatever comes our way."

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