Kennewick, Washington -- Illness took most of Maddy Rannow's eyesight, but her friends and classmates, who knew of her strong desire to read, did chores and raised funds to get her giant-print and recorded books for the library.

She said that tetherball is one of her favorite activities, one of her favorite sports, and you think, how is a girl who is legally blind play tetherball? She's a blessing to watch and it's easy to forget for a while that she's blind. Maybe this photograph pushed the envelope for what folks may think of as the abilities or disabilities of a little blind girl.

I definitely wanted to focus on Maddie, because her particular situation is what makes the entire story compelling. She's not someone that wants to be pitied or or felt sorry for or even treated differently. She wants to live her life like the rest of her friends.

Photo Essay by Charles "Stretch" Ledford
StretchPhotography.com