Mrs. World April Lufriu

The reigning Mrs. World April Lufriu is in town for the Indianapolis Vision Walk to support the fight against blindness.

Determined to raise awareness and support research to save her children’s sight, Mrs. World and Foundation Fighting Blindness spokeswoman April Lufriu will make public appearances at five area Walmart stores on Thursday, Sept. 27, and Friday Sept. 28, as well as at the 6 ^th Annual Indianapolis VisionWalk on Saturday, Sept. 29 (times and locations below).

The family-friendly Indianapolis VisionWalk aims to raise $85,000 to fund cutting-edge research for the more than 10 million Americans affected with blinding retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa (RP), macular degeneration and Usher syndrome. Mrs. World and her two children have RP, a genetic disease characterized by night blindness and a progressive loss of peripheral vision. The wife and mother returned to pageantry at age 41 after the diagnosis of her children to do everything in her power to drive research toward treatments and cures, first winning Mrs. America, and then Mrs. World at the end of last year. 

Since the VisionWalk program started in 2006, tens of thousands have participated in events across the country to raise more than $23 million for blindness research. Progress in gene therapy clinical trials—including a young boy who was able to put away his white cane after a single treatment—offers hope to Mrs. World and millions more impacted by retinal disease.