BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. -- Chris Ward is legally blind. The 12-year-old Bedford County boy's eye muscles never fully developed making it impossible for him to see clearly, WDBJ reported. Doctors told Ward's mother there was nothing they could do for her son.

"It's been an inspiration to me because he's never complained about it," Marquita Hackley said about her son's condition.

Recently Chris and his mother traveled to Washington, D.C. to test out a relatively new technology called eSight.

Using special glasses, Chris could see more clearly. And, for the first time, he saw his mother.

"Well when I saw my mom for the first time, she was pretty," he said.

"I just broke down and cried," his mom said about the experience. "It was just amazing because he's never been able to see details like that."

An issue arose when the family learned their insurance would not pay for the $15,000 glasses.

"It was kind of a low blow. Because of course it's something you'd love insurance to be able to cover or at least part of it," Hackley said.

Hackley set-up a fundraising page on the YouCaring website in an effort to raise money for the glasses.

Chris' classmates also planned to hold a fundraiser to help bring down the costs.