The National Geographic Documentary Blink (in select theatres on October 4th) deals with the Pelletier family and the amazing adventure they head out on after three of their four children are diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. This rare and incurable disease leads to severe visual impairment, and the Pelletier family’s world changes forever. In the face of this life-altering news, Edith Lemay, Sébastien Pelletier and their children set out on a trip worldwide to experience all its beauty while they still can. As they fill their memories with breathtaking destinations and once-in-a-lifetime encounters, the family’s love, resilience and unshakeable sense of wonder ensure their uncertain future does not define their present.
I had the chance to talk with Edith Lemay (Mother) & Sebastien Pelletier (Father) after viewing the documentary to discuss the trip and how things came about.
One thing that isn’t too clear in the documentary is just how long the trip happened after the children’s diagnosis. I also wanted to inquire about the planning stages and how that all came to be
Edith: “We got the diagnosis in 2017, we planned to leave for the first time in 2020, but because of the Pandemic, we left in 2022”.
Sebastien: “I’d say from diagnosis to when we met the specialist maybe a year, a year after the diagnosis”.
Edith: “We got the diagnosis and a year later we decided to go”.
Sebastien: “We started planning and we were supposed to leave in July 2020, then chaos hit”.
Edith: “Five years later we were on the road”.
Knowing the world was still in disarray in 2020 (the planned time of the trip), I asked if the planning and execution of the trip was still a very difficult task.
Sebastien: “When the Pandemic hit and everything was on hold every three months we were like, okay so we’ll do another plan and we’ll see where we leave because this season is better at this place etc. So every three months I was redoing the whole itinerary and probably did it sixteen times and at some point we just like okay, this is all going to go in the trash and we’re going to go wherever it’s open and when we have a window and try to leave in January 2022 and Omicron hit and a month later things started opening up again and we said we’ll leave. We said where’s open, we’re going to leave and then we planned maybe month to month after that”.
Edith: “That’s the thing because of the Pandemic we didn’t have a whole plan, so we planned as we went, but I think it made the trip better for that reason”
Trips on these scales aren’t easy especially when you have four kids, throw in the Pandemic element and it could bring people closer or negatively impact them, I asked if the trip brought both Edith, Sebastien and the kids closer together as a family.
Sebastien: “There’s a risk that it actually breaks the couple, I think it just confirmed that we were a good team and were able to work, obviously there’s not so much intimacy so you have to find your peace within that”
Edith: “Within chaos”
Sebastien: “So, I think for us it just solidified that…”
Edith: “Confirmed we can go through anything together. We’ve been through that easily, as a couple it was never an issue”
Sebastien: “But for the family, I think it’s definitely very, very positive in terms of the memories that it brought that we still have today. You know, we’re at dinner and something pops up from the trip and everybody chimes in and everything. Being 24-7 has its downside, but as it does at home, but living through all these situations good or bad, made us better together, knowing each other”
Edith: “Because on the road when you have a problem, you don’t have a choice to work it out. It’s not like if you can just go in your room and close the door, you all sleep in the same room, so you learn how to work out your problem as a family and I think that’s something we’re going keep through the teenage years”
Kids are very resilient and although parents are parents, sometimes when a diagnosis such as the ones Mia, Collin and Laurent encounter in the documentary, the kids end up teaching the parents how to cope. I asked Edith and Sebastien if the kids taught them anything about dealing with their diagnosis and if they responded differently than they thought they would
Edith: “Yes, when we announce(d) Mia, she was seven and we were so scared to tell her, actually we didn’t know if we should tell her”
Sebastien: “We debated that for a while”
Edith: “Because some people would say let her have her childhood without worrying about the future, but we decided to tell her and her reaction was so calm and positive, like oh oh well. That was so inspiring to see her and to this day we thought as she grow older and understand more of what would come in the future she would get anxious and frustrated, but no. Today her answer is always the same, today my vision is fine, I’m going to enjoy this as much as I can and if I have a problem in the future I’ll find a solution and to us that was so inspiring, you know you can fall apart when you’re seven years old and so strong, it was really inspiring”.
Sebastien: “I think the kids really thought taught us that the present moment is what counts. As adults we’re always planning, we’re always looking into the future, worrying putting barriers, things like that. The kids are in the moment, what’s important is what’s in front of me now. If I want and stop and see this little beetle, that’s what is most important in the world and that’s beautiful. So as parents, you know we kind of caught this thing and said we should just stop and appreciate what we have and stop trying to figure out what is coming next. It’s beautiful, live it as it goes and anything you plan is not going happen anyway you think it is going happen”.
Edith: “So stop planning”
Sebastien: “Might as well take it as it comes and see the beautiful in everything”
Edith wrote a book about the exerprices on the trip entitled “Plein leurs yeux” translation to English is “Full of their eyes”. She shares excately what to expect from the book. There will be a link to the website that you can purchase Plein leurs yeux at the bottom of the article.
Edith: “Well actually writing a book was not something I planed to do in my life, I’m more comfortable with numbers, but I’ve been approached by the editor and I decided to try and I didn’t think I’d succeed but I did it and for me it was a wonderful way to crystalize all the souvenirs for the kids and to share our experience with other people. Also, our stories been told in the news, in the media and in the film, but that was a way for me to tell my vision of the story. How I felt about the trip and I’m so glad I did it, that I was able to do it and it’s out now”
Not wanting to leave without finding out how the kids are doing presently, I asked for a very quick update
Edith: “Their vision is actually declying very slowly, so we see that there is a slow decline on the scans, but in there daily life it doesn’t affect their vision yet, so we’re really fortunate that it’s slow, so it’s all good new so far. As for their everyday life they’re back to school really happy to have friends and enjoy there daily life and us, we’re just a little overwhelmed right now by everything that’s happening with the book and the movie coming out”
Please take the time to sit down (by yourself, or with the family) to enjoy this very special adventure along with Edith, Sebastien, and children Mia, Leo, Collin and Laurent as the travel the world making magical visual memories that will last a lifetime. Watch as the kids live life in the moment without worrying about their diagnose of retinitis pigmentosa.
The National Geographic Documentary BLINK will be premiering in select theatres on October 4.
Edith Lemay’s book “Plein leurs yeux” can be purchased at https://editionshomme.groupelivre.com/products/plein-leurs-yeux?variant=45509888082177
