SIOUX FALLS (AP) - A 9-year-old Texas boy who's losing his vision will get the chance to fulfill his wish to see Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.
Ben Pierce's trip is an effort of South Dakota's Department of Tourism, businesses and attractions in the Black Hills, and celebrity chef and talk show host Rachel Ray, the Argus Leader newspaper reported.
"My philosophy and the philosophy of my department is that any time we can do good, we have an opportunity to be a blessing especially to someone facing the challenge Ben is facing, we want to be able to help," said Jim Hagen, director of the Department of Tourism director.
Ben is hoping to get through a wish list of places he'd like to see before completely losing his vision. He's already been to the Grand Canyon, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and New York City. He also wants to see the Great Wall of China and Japan.
But first, he'll see the cliff-side carving of former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
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Ben has lost his peripheral vision and depth perception in recent years. His mother, Heidi, said Ben is now losing colors and his right eye no longer works.
"I think seeing these locations has been impressive for him, and it will be cemented in his mind," she said.
Ben and his father, Kit, learned of the trip on Ray's television show on Tuesday. He'll make the trip sometime in the next year. They live in Denton, Texas.
