Legally blind Big Brother winner Reggie Bird takes her son to a doctor’s appointment

Former Big Brother winner Reggie Bird appeared to be in great spirits as she stepped out with her son Lucas, 11, on the Gold Coast last Tuesday in a rare public sighting.

The 46-year-old, who has been plagued by health issues since winning the third season of the reality show in 2003, smiled as she accompanied her child for a doctor’s appointment.

Lucas has cystic fibrosis, an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. 

Reggie, who is legally blind and has no peripheral vision after because of a degenerative eye condition, walked with the aid of a cane. 

She kept the winter chill at bay with a zip-up black hoodie and denim jeans, and paired her casual outfit with lace-up grunge boots.  

After winning Big Brother 17 years ago, Reggie was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare and hereditary disease which made her lose 90 per cent of her vision. 

But in an interview with Woman’s Day in April, Reggie revealed she had regained some of her eye sight thanks to medical advances. 

Reggie told the magazine that her eye specialist had told her part of her vision could be restored thanks to a ‘groundbreaking’ new procedure.

The doctor said the procedure would involve removing the cataracts she had developed, and if that didn’t work he would follow up with something called ‘the piggyback technique’.

‘When my eye specialist said there’s a small chance he can restore part of my sight, I couldn’t believe it,’ she said.

Reggie revealed in April it had been three months since she’d had the procedure, and she was due to have another surgery in the near future.

‘It’s like a fogginess has lifted, is the best way to describe it,’ she explained.

‘It still needs tweaking, but we’re getting there. I will never regain my full sight – but that’s okay – it just means I can’t see the increasing number of wrinkles I’m getting!’