9-year-old makes wish list of places to see before he goes blind

Ben Pierce is a soft-spoken little boy who has binders filled with postcards from all over the world. At 9 years old, Ben is already a seasoned traveler. He's been to Alaska to see the Northern Lights and is planning a trip to the Grand Canyon. Ben is trying to see as much of the world as he can while he still can because he was born with a condition that is causing him to lose his vision.

Ben was born four months premature and at just two months old he was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity. Not all children diagnosed with the condition lose their vision, but eye surgery Ben underwent as an infant resulted in scar tissue. Because of that, Ben's vision continues to deteriorate as he grows.

"We don't want him to think that this is a tragedy; we want him to just view this as another challenge," Ben's mom, Heidi Thaden-Pierce, told ABC.

Ben is learning Braille and how to walk with a cane.

To help Ben make the most of the sighted time he has left, one of Ben's vision therapists suggested to his family that they try to take Ben to see as many places as possible to try to give him vivid memories to hold onto once his world goes dark.

"Many years later when someone describes an ocean, he will remember what a wave looks like," Thaden-Pierce said.

So about a year ago, Ben and his family sat down and made a wish list of all the places Ben would like to see. The destinations range from things as simple as the aquarium near his home outside of Dallas, Texas all the way to Big Ben in London. Many of the ideas came from places Ben has read about in books.

Thaden-Pierce says the entire family, including Ben's five siblings, tries to go on as many as the trips as possible.

"I love that the siblings are seeing it," she said. "They're kind of like the keepers of the sights because they help him remember what he's seen."

Tap to see video if you're viewing on news app. (Video courtesy of WFAA)

Two weeks ago, Ben and his family travelled to Alaska to see the Northern Lights. Alaska Airlines paid for the airfare after one of their pilots saw Ben's story on the news.

"Awesome," is how Ben described the experience. "They're like sparkles in the sky...green and yellow."

Thaden-Pierce says Ben wasn't able to see all of the colors that everyone else could, but it was still an incredible experience.

Ben's family doesn't ask for donations to cover the costs associated with the trips, but independent pages have been set up to fund past trips and they have been gifted things like museum memberships. Instead, the family has asked that donations be made to Lighthouse for the Blind Fort Worth, a non-profit organization that helps families with blind or visually impaired children.

Ben understands that he simply will not be able to see every sight to be seen and travel every place on the globe, so he also collects postcards. He's received thousands from well-wishers all over the world. Ben's mom says the kids love to look the postcards' locations up on the map.

"They still get excited about every one that comes in," Thaden-Pierce said.

Ben's next big eye exam is in two weeks. His mom says Ben knows his eyes have been changing and he's nervous about what the doctors are going to say. But focusing on planning his next trip - to the Grand Canyon - helps keep him focused on the positive.

"The trips are good for him; he's busy making happy memories," Thaden-Pierce said.

Postcards to Ben can be sent to:

Ben's Wish List

c/o Hobby-Q

PO Box 2107

Lake Dallas, TX 75065-2107

Places and experiences on Ben's Wish List he has yet to see:

• England, including Doctor Who and Harry Potter studios, the Globe theater, London Eye, Big Ben, the Roman Wall, Van Gogh's Sunflower, and Tower Bridge
• Paris, to see the Louvre and Eiffel Tower
• The Grand Canyon
• Northern California to see the Golden Gate Bridge and the Redwood Forest
• Las Vegas
• Snorkeling
• Parthenon and Athena statue in Tennessee
• Mardi Gras
• The Food Network kitchen
• Children's Aquarium in Fair Park, Texas
• A Weird Al concert
• Sand dunes (The family is hoping to visit Monohan State Park as the Sahara, his first request, is a bit far.)
• A toy factory
• Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark in Grapevine, Texas
• Skiing
• Christkindlmarkt
• Antarctica (Ben's family has heard the ICE! exhibit at Gaylord may be a close second.)
• The Kimball in Ft. Worth
• Fort Worth Water Gardens
• The Fort Worth Modern
• Central Park in Frisco
• Dallas Farmers Market
• Bass Hall
• Farmers Branch Historical Park
• Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth
• Fossil Rim Park for a North Texas version of a safari
• The Dallas Aquarium
• Heard Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary
• A bike store
• Washington D.C. to see the Lincoln Memorial and the White House
• Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
• Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
• The Nutcracker ballet

Wish List places Ben has seen:

• The Northern Lights
• A bakery
• An Apple store
• A farm to see chickens, cows, horses, and goats
• Ice skating
• A waterfall
• Los Angeles to see where his big brother was born and the ocean, as well as Legoland and Disneyland
• How ice cream is made
• Tiny things through a microscope
• The Dallas Zoo
• How tortillas are made
• NASA
• A candy factory
• A comic book store
• The mountains
• The Fort Worth Zoo
• New York City
• A place where books are made
• The Perot Science Museum
• A video game company
• The Alamo and San Antonio River Walk
• A cave
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Follow along with Ben as he completes his vision wish list on his family's website.

Northern Lights photos courtesy of Ronn Murray Photography

All photos used with permission