International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Ben Peirce fulfilled this wish before losing his vision. REUTERS/Toby Jorrin

A heart-warming story has come to light when a nine-year-old boy revealed a bucket list of all the places he wants to see before he loses his eyesight forever.

Ben Pierce came up with the list when he was told by doctors about his medical condition. The lad was a premature baby born four months early. This led to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which is an eye disorder primarily affecting babies born before 31 weeks of gestation. This disorder develops in both eyes and causes permanent visual loss in early childhood stages.

Pierce lost his peripheral vision last year and is losing his eyesight at fast pace. E!News reported that his parents encouraged him to jot down all the places he wants to see before he loses his sense of sight completely.

His bucket list is quite creative, which included the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles to Apple store. It was not just the big tourist places that made it to the list. The boy also wished to have a look at candy factory, toy factory, Doctor Who and Harry Potter studio in England. He wants to try ice skating and skiing as well.

The family of the boy, which includes his mother, father and five other siblings, are trying very hard to complete his wish list as soon as possible. To make it happen sooner, the family is looking for donations and grants. His siblings are also exhibiting outstanding support by donating their personal allowances and selling truffles in neighbourhood.

Some of the items from his list have already been fulfilled. An avid fan of Doctor Who, Pierce wanted to see a Van Gogh painting after watching an episode of the series. The Dallas Museum of Art made his wish come true by offering him a free pass. Another wish was to observe things under the high powered microscope one last time before he completely goes blind also got fulfilled lately.

Following his instincts and desire to complete his list, the boy travelled a lot recently and has seen some amazing wonders of the world. He has been to Mardi Gras, London and Paris in February. He already visited Legoland and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, as well as attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. He also got a chance to explore the candy factory, zoo and a planetarium in a very short span of time.