After his 15th birthday, Payton was diagnosed with juvenile Keratoconus and needed vision-preserving eye surgeries. In the spring of 2024, he had cross-linking surgery in both eyes to help prevent blindness and progression of the disease. This took an emotional toll on him and created an unexpected financial hardship for his family as they took substantial time off work to help Payton navigate and recover from his surgeries. The Butterfly Foundation provided a grant of $5,750 to help with rental assistance and outstanding medical bills. After months of recovery and hard work, Payton has returned his focus to school and his love of music and playing his guitar. His family was referred to us by Children’s Hospital Colorado.