FOX5 travels to San Diego for Las Vegas boy’s life-changing eyelid surgery

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Monday is a big day for 7-year-old Carter and his family as he prepares to undergo surgery on his eyelids.

FOX5 first brought you Carter’s story in May, when we told you how his two rare skin conditions make it impossible for Carter to close his eyes. Carter’s mom was originally fundraising to help offset some of the costs that would come with Carter’s surgery, but after we aired our story, viewers from all over the country stepped in to help them.

FOX5 is in San Diego with Carter and spent the day before surgery at the beach with him.

“I want to go in the water,” Carter said.

Carter held FOX5 Victoria Saha’s hand as he soaked his feet in the ocean for the very first time.

“It looks super cold… It is super hot in Las Vegas,” Carter said.

As Carter looks out over the water, this will be his last chance to soak everything in. After Carter gets his skin graft and eyelid surgery Monday, his eyes will have to be surgically shut for a week as he heals.

“I’m going to have surgery on my eye,” Carter explained to FOX5. “I am going to get put to sleep, and then after, I’m going to be blind for a little bit.”

Carter’s skin condition has made it impossible for him to open and close his eyes, something the surgery seeks to fix.

“I’ll be able to blink and my eyes won’t water all the time,” Carter said. “I don’t really feel good with it… but I am okay with it.”

As Carter prepares to deal with more of the unthinkable, his mom Shai Bresee tells FOX5 his spirit is what makes Carter so special.

“He understands that it is not going to be easy, it is going to hurt but it is temporary and the relief he is going to get is going to be much better than the pain he is going through,” Bresee said.

Since our FOX5 viewers have helped Carter’s family pay for medical expenses, Bresee’s only concern now is to keep Carter comfortable.“

You can’t put a price on peace of mind and just being able to know we can relax and do our due diligence with him and spend time with him through recovery,” Bresee said.

Carter’s surgery is set for Monday afternoon at UC San Diego and FOX5 will continue updating viewers on how the procedure went.

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