Blind Teenager Experiences Rose Parade
A 13-year-old girl suffering from blindness had the chance to experience the Rose Parade by touching the iconic floats.
PASADENA, California. – As Floatfest visitors walked along the rows of floats in the Rose Parade, you could feel the “oooohs and ahhhs!” One visitor said: “They are beautiful. »
Every year after the Rose Parade, thousands of people come to the event where the floats that people have watched on television are on display for a closer look. Another visitor said: “Oh, they are really beautiful. »
But not everyone can see the beauty of roses, flowers, beans, seeds and leaves or the amazing designs of floats, like the winner of this year’s San Diego Zoo competition.
Chloe Padilla is 13 years old. She is blind. She saw Floatfest between her fingers. She told FOX11: “I thought a float was a huge balloon that would carry people. Now I know they’re just flowers, and they can be on top of a car or trailer . There were roses, there was cereal.” She said it smelled natural. “It was truly wonderful!”
Her mother, Melissa Brownfield, said: “I have to hold back tears. It’s just amazing for her to have the opportunity to explore in the way that she can.” Her father, Gilbert Padilla, noted that “it’s just the joy she feels to experience life that everyone can have. We can all see it, and now she’s seeing it for the first time.” times in his life.”
And for volunteer Maria Olson, watching the 13-year-old girl was touching. It was Olson who granted Chloe’s father’s wish that his daughter be allowed to approach the tank inside the barricade. About it, she said: “This is my 15th show, and it’s the first time anyone has asked me, and it’s been… I can’t even describe it.”
Chloe uses new glasses with artificial intelligence and a camera. She said, “You press this button, it takes a photo.” Then the AI describes what it can’t see. Maria Olson said, “She doesn’t have a vision, and a lot of people take that for granted. I think a lot of us don’t realize that until we have something.”
Now Chloe has something she’ll remember for the rest of her life, and to that she said, “I’m very lucky.”
The Floatfest continues for two more days, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., with special times in the morning for seniors. Tickets are $25 for adults and children under five are free.