An elderly woman has selflessly donated $39,000 to help the family of a two-year-old boy born without eyes.
Marjorie, 95, made the generous donation after meeting little Archie Innes and his family this week.
The toddler, from Sydney, was born with a very rare condition called Anophthalmia.
Archie’s family has been trying to raise money for a van fitted out to accommodate the child in his wheelchair, and all his special needs equipment.
Marjorie, 95, made a generous donation to Archie and his family after a chance encounter last month
Marjorie met with Archie and his mum Fiona on Thursday after she made her generous donation to the family
Marjorie made her donation after Archie and his mum Fiona Innes appeared on Ben Fordham’s radio show on 2GB.
During an interview with Mr Fordham, she said she was handing over the money because she wants to help.
‘Anything to do with children I will help,’ she said.
‘He can’t see, this little boy, and you can’t see all that well either right? So you’ve got a good little connection there,’ Mr Fordham said.
The sprightly 95-year-old charmed the radio host, teasing him while discussing her eyesight.
‘How would you describe your eyesight?’ Mr Fordham asked.
‘Bloody awful,’ she responded.
‘Did you just say bloody awful?’
She quickly hit back: ‘No I didn’t… Oh, I might’ve.’
The pair later argued over her age in an Instagram video, which ended with Marjorie blowing Mr Fordham a kiss.
Parents Fiona and Stevie (pictured with their children, Alba and Archie) have named their son ‘miracle man’
Mr Fordham checked with Marjorie’s family, who said she was just incredibly generous, before announcing her pledge.
On Thursday, Ms Innes thanked Marjorie for helping their ‘miracle man’.
‘Because of you, we can now take him everywhere with us,’ she said.
Archie has complex health issues that require a team of 20 medical and therapeutic specialists across Sydney.
Born with SOX2 anophthalmia syndrome mean’s Archie is ‘black blind’ – his world is entirely dark, despite this, the toddler still manages to light up any room.
‘Everyone who meets Archie is instantly drawn to his gorgeous, contagious personality and smile,’ Mrs Innes told Daily Mail Australia last year.
‘Archie has brought so much joy to so many who surround him. We simply couldn’t imagine life without him it in it, he’s incredible,’ said mother Fiona Innes
‘He has been such a blessing for our family.
‘We have learned to appreciate life to the fullest and to enjoy each and every day we have together as a family.
‘Archie has brought so much joy to so many who surround him. We simply couldn’t imagine life without him it in it, he’s incredible.’
Archie also battles severe gross motor delay, mild-to-moderate hearing impairment, and moderate aspiration (can cause fluid to enter into his lungs), which necessitates the delivery of food and fluid through a tube.
Mrs Innes and her husband Stevie, who also have a daughter, Alba, discovered there was a problem with Archie’s health during the second trimester.
‘At 28 weeks into my pregnancy with Archie, the doctors performed a full scan and identified a brain abnormality,’ said Mrs Innes.
She was 32 weeks pregnant when they were told their son would be born without eyes. It was on this day that their lives changed forever, she said.
Archie (pictured with big sister, Alba) also battles severe gross motor delay, mild-to-moderate hearing impairment, and moderate aspiration (can cause fluid to enter into his lungs), which necessitates the delivery of food and fluid through a tube
To date, Archie has spent close to half of his life in hospital, and when not in hospital, he makes almost daily visits to a plethora of doctors and paediatric physicians
In his short life, Archie has since been diagnosed with neurosensory hearing loss, multiple respiratory infections, mild-to-moderate aspiration, multiple brain abnormalities which are yet to be completely understood, and severe motor delay.
To date, Archie has spent close to half of his life in hospital, and when not in hospital, he makes almost daily visits to a plethora of doctors and paediatric physicians.
To help pay for Archie’s immediate and ongoing medical care, his family has set up a personal funding page.
They hope to raise AUD$500,000 to cover the costs throughout his childhood, which include intensive therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy and medical and specialist equipment.
If you would like to contribute, please head to their GoFundMe page.