Feeling exceptionally blessed today. Mackenzie’s school, teachers and students are raising money for her little brother, Lane’s medical treatment. Today she came home with over $100 in cash and jar filled with change….and that was just from the 3rd grade! Mackenzie told me that her teacher had her go around to all the Kinder and 1st grade classrooms today to handout flyers (that her teacher made) to the students and to speak a little about her brother. She even said that Lane’s picture and story was up on the big screens in the classrooms. When I picked her up from school this afternoon, she was holding this heavy jar and her teacher told me that as more donations came in, she would send them home. How thoughtful is her teacher? She did all of this on her own just because and she involved the whole school. And all those sweet children who went home to their parents with Lane’s story wanting to help. There just aren’t enough words that truly express our gratitude. So many great people in this world. Thank you, thank you Stuebing Ranch Elementary, Mrs. Elizondo, teachers and students for being so thoughtful and helping our Lane reach his goal. ♥ ♥ ♥

If you are new to Lane’s website and would like to donate to Lane, please click on the Donate tab at the top of the page. Thank you all!

Thank you to all who came out and volunteered their time this past Saturday, attended the event, donated items, spent money and especially those who attended this event for the 2nd time. We are incredibly grateful for each and every one of you, your generosity and your thoughtfulness. We had a wonderful time having you all! We raised right around $8000….a great way to kick off Lane’s Fight For Sight! We are now about one third of the way to our goal.

A special thank you to Anthony Pedrotti (Pedrotti’s North Wind Ranch) for hosting Lane’s event, Gerald Hoffman (Gerald’s Casino Parties) for lending the casino tables, the set-up and break down crew and all who volunteered to work this event. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A Texas Hold ‘em Tournament and Casino Night Benefit will be held for Lane this April 6th to aid his Fight For Sight! Our last Casino Night Benefit was a huge success and a ton of fun! This time we plan on making it bigger and better! Same location- bigger building! Come have fajitas with us, and then have fun playing your game of choice in the Casino. Blackjack, Roulette, Craps or Texas Hold ‘em Poker. There will be prizes for the Casino, 1st and 2nd place prizes for the Poker Tournament, Door Prizes, a Silent Auction and a Cash Bar!

Come prepared for a fun night and bring a friend or two with you! Wear your Lane’s Search For Sight t-shirt and wristband if you have one and at the end of the night we will take a group picture.

Please help us get the word out about Lane’s event. We hope to get Lane back overseas for more treatment by the end of the summer. As always, thank you for helping us give our son the gift of sight!

Pedrotti’s North Wind Ranch
13715 FM 1560 N, Helotes, TX 78023
1604 and Hausman Road

Saturday, April 6th
Doors open at 6:30pm
Casino Opens at 7:30pm

Tonight was indeed an amazing night. Mackenzie and Lane had a birthday party at Pump-it-Up. They turned the lights out and had neon lights on; similar to cosmic bowling. The entire time Lane had his head pulled back and was looking at the neon lights! We have never seen him hold his head up for so long and actually LOOK and move his head around the room like that! We wish that everyone who has helped Lane get to this point could have witnessed it! It’s an amazing feeling knowing that he could so obviously see the lights. He could see them so clearly that they were almost scaring him. To go from being told that Lane only sees darkness to knowing that he can see lights like these is a truly amazing feeling. It’s vindication in a way. To know that Lane is on his way to seeing more and more of this beautiful world that we live in can bring joy to the most hardened of hearts. The journey is just beginning though. If Lane can see these lights after only one trip overseas for adult stem cells imagine how he will improve after his next trip! This is just inspiration to make the Texas Hold’em Tournament and Casino Night Fundraiser on Saturday, April 6 as big as it can possibly be. The bigger it is the closer we are to giving Lane a better chance at seeing even more of what this world has in store for him.

Local Boy Treated With Stem Cells Sees Light

By: Grace White
Follow Grace on Twitter @Grace__White and on Facebook

It’s the moment a local family has been waiting for.

The moment when their son, who was born blind, would see light.

Lane Yochum, 2, was born blind.

“I had a doctor tell me your son is always going to be blind, you’re just going to have to face that and deal with that,” said Lauren Yochum, Lane’s mother.

But she wasn’t willing to accept that answer.

So with the community’s support the Yochum family raised thousands of dollars to take Lane to China for adult stem cell treatment.

During our interview Lane started talking about what he can now see.

“Lights… Lights,” said Lane.

For the first time, the Yochums say doctors found a connection between Lane’s brain and eyes in a recent test in San Antonio.

He has some light perception, but he still does not have complete sight.

“I think he can see better now, I think he can see where he’s going a little bit when he sees the light,” said Mackenzie Yochum, Lane’s sister.

“I really had no idea what to expect, if the stem cells would even work or not,” said Tim Yochum, Lane’s father.

Lane’s parents say when they came home from china they also noticed some other changes in their son who was also developmentally delayed.

“He was walking, he was talking, he was eager to engage,” said Tim.

“We’ve seen great changes in him and he’s come so far. It’s amazing and I really credit the adult stem cells for that because it’s either that or a miracle,” said Lauren.

Now, the Yochums are preparing to go back to China because the treatment isn’t offered in the U.S.

Lane’s parents say they’ve met other families who’ve made the trip several times and seen their children gain more and more vision.

“To go from seeing shadows to being able to operate a car, gosh can you imagine the independence?” said Lauren.

Lane’s family is planning a Casino Night Fundraiser in April to raise money for their next trip to China. To find out more about Lane’s journey click here.