A family are embarking on a round the world trip before their daughter and two sons g blind.
Mia was just three-years-old when her parents Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier first noticed that she was having vision problems.
The young girl was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time.
A few years later two of Edith and Sebastien's younger children, Colin, now seven, and Laurent, now five, were experiencing the same symptoms.
They too were diagnosed with the condition, with Leo, 9, the only sibling to get the all clear.
Sadly there is no cure or method to slow down the condition, and doctors expect the children to be completely blind mid way through their lives.
The parents wanted to make sure their kids were as prepared as possible for the time they went blind, CNN reported.
As well as teaching them life skills, this meant building up a catalogue of visual memories to take with them through their sightless years.
"I thought, 'I'm not going to show her an elephant in a book, I'm going to take her to see a real elephant," Edith told the news channel.
The mum and dad decided they would take their children on a trip around the world, to envelop them in as many sights as they could.
The family of six were originally due to set off in July 2020 on a trip that would've gone through Russia and China, but the pandemic put a stop to that.
When they eventually embarked in March 2022, they did so without an itinerary or exact route.
The only list they had with them was a bucket list, which included horseback riding for Mia and drinking juice on a camel for Laurent.
The great adventure began in Namibia, where the family spent time with elephants and giraffes, and then took in Zambia and Tanzania.
Along the route they focused on seeing as many animals and plants as possible in countries including Mongolia and Indonesia.
Edith and Sebastian hope that the big trip and the many people they meet will help the children learn the coping skills they'll need to deal with their condition.
"No matter how hard their life is going to be, I wanted to show them that they are lucky just to have running water in their home and to be able to go to school every day with nice colourful books," the mum said.
Edith says she's impressed with how quickly the kids have been adapting to the new cultures and all they have to offer - of which the best bits are often a surprise.
"We will tell ourselves (they will think) something is wonderful and then they see puppies in the street and it's the best thing in their life," she said.
The family plans to return home to Quebec, Canada next March, but they are trying not to think that far ahead.
Although traveling as a family has been testing and has seen the parents homeschool their kids, they've loved seeing their children bond.
They hope that continues, and they remain hopeful medical science will find a cure for their children's condition before it robs them of their sight.
