A courageous 13-year-old girl from Essex is on a heartfelt mission to create a lifetime of visual memories before a rare genetic condition steals her eyesight.
Facing a Rare Diagnosis
Audrey Tyrrell, from Harwich, was diagnosed with Usher syndrome two years ago, in March 2023. This rare genetic disorder, affecting just three to six in every 100,000 people, causes deafness and a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Audrey has lived with hearing loss since birth, wearing her first tiny pink hearing aids at just six weeks old. The family's world was rocked when, following her father Andrew's own vision loss diagnosis, tests at Great Ormond Street Hospital revealed Audrey carried the Usher gene.
Her mother, Tracey Tyrrell, 46, explained the family's determined outlook: "Since Usher syndrome is progressive vision loss, we didn't want her not to know so we've worked on having a really positive outlook. We talked with her about making a visual memories wish list."
The Race to Create Memories
Faced with an uncertain timeline—some lose sight in their teens, others in their early 30s—Audrey and her family are acting now. Her ambitious list, which she estimates could take ten to twenty years, is already being rapidly ticked off.
This year alone, the ballroom-dancing champion has marvelled at the ancient stones of Stonehenge, been dazzled by the light-up spectacle of a Coldplay concert, and savoured an authentic Cornish pasty in Cornwall.
She has already experienced the magic of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, visited the Eiffel Tower, and enjoyed Legoland. "We don't know if she's even got ten to twenty years left of vision so we want to get through it as quickly as possible," said Tracey.
Looking to the Future with Courage
Audrey, who also runs cross-country and does ballet, approaches her list with inspiring confidence. "It amazes us with her confidence to go out there and grab life. The list gives her something positive to focus on," her proud mum added.
Future dreams include seeing the Statue of Liberty, witnessing the Northern Lights, visiting Rome's Colosseum, and tasting a traditional meat pie on the Greek island of Cephalonia.
The family found unexpected solace when Emmerdale actors Laura Norton and Mark Jordon spoke publicly about their children's same diagnosis. "It was a comfort... that at the same time as I was going through the grief of Audrey being diagnosed, it was in the mainstream media," Tracey shared.
For now, Audrey's sight remains steady as she, with remarkable bravery, continues to build a treasure trove of sights to hold in her memory forever.
