Community Corner

Beauty Queen Fights to Find Cure for Disease That Could Cause Her Children to Go Blind

Mrs. America visited Salon Hype in Burr Ridge to raise awareness about Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition which affects both her children.

It's hard to imagine, looking at the smile on her face, that reigning Mrs. America and Mrs. World April Lufriu lives with the fear that she and both her children might lose their eyesight someday.

Two years ago, she and her two children were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, an inherited disease that causes retinal degeneration.

Lufriu said she herself experiences some issues with depth perception and vision in low light situations, but she feels those issues are minor compared to what others with her condition experience. She has seen firsthand how the disease affects someone she loves.

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"My sister [who has RP] doesn't drive anymore. She can't read a book, so she can't help her children with their homework," said Lufriu.

Lufriu came to to help raise funding for research and awareness about the disease.

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According to the National Institutes of Health, the condition affects 1 in 4,000 people in the United States.

"Our goal was to raise $5,000 in one week. We've raised $2,000 so far," said Carissa Bartolomei, owner of , which hosted the event in Burr Ridge.

Lufriu talked with many local news outlets while she was in the Chicago area during a tour arranged by John Corneille, a member of the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, who lost his eyesight to Retinitis Pigmentosa 10 years ago.

"Everyone knows [about] diabetes and heart disease, but I want to make Retinitis Pigmentosa a household name. The more people who know about it, the more help we can get. I don't want to hear 'What is it?' ever again," said Lufriu with tears in her eyes.

Lufriu was joined Saturday by Grammy-nominated musician Jim Peterik, who co-wrote the song Eye of the Tiger, the theme from the film Rocky III.

"I have a friend Jeff Golub, a very well-known jazz guitarist ... He developed an eyesight problem. It really connected me with the cause," said Peterik, who sang several songs Saturday at in Burr Ridge, where the Lufrius had lunch, along with other members of the Foundation for Fighting Blindness.

Lufriu's husband of 21 years said the most difficult part of the situation they are in is the fear of the future.

"Not having a crystal ball to know if and when they will lose total eyesight," said George Lufriu.

He said his two children, ages 6 and 10, are what give him the strength to continue.

"Their smiles, they're warmth and love ... totally gives me the strength to carry on each day and make sure their future is fulfilled," said Lufriu.

April Lufriu said she spends hours telling others about the disease in the hope that it will help find a cure for her two kids.

"I think any mother would be doing what I'm doing," she said.

This Mother’s Day Lufriu is looking for 99 other moms to join her to raise money for blindness research. She's created a webpage Unite for a Cure page to help the Foundation Fighting Blindness raise $50,000 for research.


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