Meet Truffles

Alaa Elassar

Nearly four years ago,Danielle Crull rescued a homeless kitten from a forest in Pennsylvania.Now,that kitty is changing hundreds of lives by helping children with eye problems feel more confident about wearing glasses.

Truffles,now famous for her attractive glasses—which range from purple ones to her favorite green pair—works alongside her mom,an optician (驗光師).

Crull runs her own practice,A Child's Eyes,in Mechanicsburg,where her primary focus is infants,toddlers (蹣跚學步的人) and children in elementary school.When kids come in—many with severe eye problems that require treatments—they are often terrified of anything coming near their eyes.

That's when Truffles comes to the rescue.“She is literally magical with little kids.It takes me at least half an hour to try and get to know them so they realize I'm not something to be afraid of,and Truffles will come from the back as if she knows exactly when I need her help.”Truffles jumps right up next to the child and makes her head up so Crull can put on a pair of glasses.The mood changes instantly.Tears turn into smiles,and suddenly those glasses don't look so scary anymore.

“When a little one is crying,she comes out and I put glasses on her.The little one immediately stops crying,laughs and puts his or her own glasses on,”Crull said.“It happens countless times,and it's just as sweet every single time.”

Wearing glasses is one of Truffles' favorite things to do.She often falls asleep wearing them and refuses to let Crull take them off.Every day,according to Crull,Truffles chooses one of her nearly 20 pairs of unique glasses and wears them happily.“If she had thumbs,she would do it herself.She actually loves it,”Crull said.“She can take them off whenever she wants,but a lot of times she chooses not to.”