In April of 1954, while in the 2nd grade, he came home from school with the sad news that he couldn't see very well. 

This was verified by his teachers.  His school work had fallen off.

Because of the seriousness of the ailment, his parents took Robert to an eye specialist.  The diagnosis was optic nueritis inflamed and swollen optic nerves, by which the boy was losing his vision.

With the hope that perhaps the specialist had given the wrong answer, the parents took the boy to other specialists. All gave the same verdict, and could promise no hope.  Such men included Mayo Clinic specialists.

In August of 1954 the Duda family took the boy to St. Anne Shrine in Canada.  In the meantime the boy had been sent to Braille school for the blind and was making some headway with his work there.

On August 1, 1955 the same family came to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio.  There they made the usual simple pilgrimage and prayed that Our Lady would return sight to their young son.

When returning from the Shrine, on their way to Detroit, the boy suddenly exclaimed that he could read license numbers of passing cars.  This was the first sign of improvement.  Since then Robert Duda's sight and vision has become increasingly stronger and clearer.

He no longer (August 1956) goes to Braille, but rather has moved into the school, called sight saving school.  On the occasion of his return to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation this August - his parents made the return visit as a token of thanksgiving to Our Lady - Robert was arable to read ordinary type in an ordinary catechism.  Deo Gatias.

The boy's parents promised to get certified statements from the specialists who examined and cared for the boy.

JD:MI