Our guest this week is Sebastien Pelletier of Montreal, Canada a financial professional and father of four, three of whom were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa.  The Pelletier family was also featured in the National Geographic documentary BLINK.

Sebastien and his wife, Edith Lemay, have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of four children: Mia (13), Leo (11), Colin (9) and Laurent (7).  Mia, Colin and Laurent have been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder also known as Inherited Retinal Dystrophy (IRD) that causes loss of vision.  

There is no known cure for IRD that will eventually lead to complete blindness.  In lieu of just providing their children with images, videos and movies to bolster their visual memories, the family embarked on an 18 month, 15 country journey around the world, which became the subject of the 2024 National Geographic documentary BLINK.  

BLINK is more than a beautifully filmed travelogue to once-in-a-lifetime destinations, it's about the family’s love, resilience and unshakeable sense of wonder to ensure that their uncertain future does not define their present.

Today's episode is also a touching reflection about a couple's commitment to family and adventure, all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
LinkedIn –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastien-p-62840b/
Quebec Foundation for Visually Impaired – https://fondationdesaveugles.org/en/
Blink Documentary Official Website - https://films.nationalgeographic.com/blink
Edith’s Book - https://www.amazon.ca/Plein-leurs-yeux-gardent-m%C3%A9moire-ebook/dp/B0DGLLRD2K
AQPEHV: https://www.aqpehv.qc.ca/ Mira: https://www.mira.ca/en/
Fighting blindness: https://www.fightingblindness.org/
MiraUSA Guide Dogs https://www.mirausa.org

Register for the 6th Annual SFN Dads Virthual Conference on May 10, 2025: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TLkN_ViJTTqnaK-M8pHPNA 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Special Fathers Network -
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated.  There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videos

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/