All Cornelle wished for ahead of her wedding day was the chance to see her husband waiting for her at the aisle. In a story encompassing romance, unity and proudly South Africa support, this bride-to-be has gotten the wedding gift of a lifetime: her sight!
Berlin, Germany (30 September 2024) — Most brides tend to have a few requests and wishes before their big days. But one South African bride-to-be named Cornelle Leach had a unique wish that no wedding registry could hold a candle to: the gift of seeing her soon-to-be husband on their wedding day.
Cornelle has Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy. It’s a debilitating retinal disease that has made her centrally blind to the point that she had 0% vision—meaning she’d never actually seen her fiancé before.
The two have navigated life through Cornelle’s struggle. For her, Russel’s been the guiding light of her mind’s eye.
“Amid the darkness, I found a beacon of light in the form of love,” Cornelle says.
“I am blessed to have found the man of my dreams, Russell, who sees beyond my impairment and stands by my side unwaveringly.”
When Russel’s family discovered Fedorov Vision Restoration Therapy, an institution in Berlin that could help Cornelle, magic and miracles married.
The institution could be the one that gifted Cornelle her sight again—no sure bet at the time, but a damn good one.
Cornelle started a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to rally support for her chance. Even though she knew it might not work, she placed her bets on hope.
As the word spread, her story caught the attention of the likes of renowned local fashion designer, Gert-Johan Coetzee and famed comedian, Schalk Bezuidenhout.
Gert kindly offered to make Cornelle’s wedding dress and encouraged support for her while Schalk got to sharing the ‘bride to see’s’ story (his apt reference to Cornelle) with his own audience and as many people as possible.
What had staggered in support soon became a whirlwind of it, and by August, the institute for her treatment was paid for and the flights to Berlin, booked!
Both Schalk and Cornelle simply couldn’t believe how quickly South Africans responded to the call for support. In a matter of days, the impossible had become its counterpart.
“I have never been so proud to be a South African,” Cornelle shared.
“It was the effort of a lot of people giving the little amounts of what they could,” said Schalk.
In the update South Africa had been waiting for, Schalk met up with Cornelle in Berlin on the last day of her treatment in late September—an encounter they attribute to fate since he just happened to be in town for a show.
There, Cornelle revealed the incredible news that the treatment was a success! Moreover, it had even started working earlier than anticipated, doubling the amount of active cells in her retina already. The biggest joy of all? She got to see her love for the very first time.
“It has made such an impact on me and I don’t have words to express my gratitude because it’s not everyday when a girl can get her sight back or at least get the opportunity to,” Cornelle said in reference to everyone who helped her, near and far.
We’re sure her wedding day on 11 January will be the happy ending to a story that certainly deserves its own movie. But it’s also a one-of-a-kind reminder that sometimes truth isn’t just stranger than fiction, it can also be far more beautiful.
Sources: Schalk Bezuidenhout; BackaBuddy
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