Meet the 10-year-old Leeds girl with a rare eye condition determined to live every dream on her bucket list

From visiting the Eiffel Tower to playing the trombone to even driving a car, Maya Abbas wants to do it all.

But right at the top of her list was one goal: to dye her hair pink.

That’s why Anything But Ordinary Hair Salon in Kippax broke convention and offered Maya a free appointment to transform her hair to her dream colour.

Maya has Stargardt disease, a genetic condition which causes progressive loss of central vision and affects around 6,000 people in the UK.

She began experiencing difficulty when reading and seeing things from a distance, which made her mother Tahira, alongside her teachers at her school, believe she could be struggling with her vision.

However, it was only after a year of tests that doctors could confirm that Maya’s vision problems were a result of the condition.

Tahira said: "Being told that as a ten-year-old has been a massive shock to her, and it has taken us quite a long while to get used to.

“It’s really frightening. You want to give your child all the independence that they want, but when you get told something like this, you just want to hold them that little bit closer and you don’t want to let go.”

Maya’s family don’t know if she will lose more of her central vision, which is why they are helping Maya achieve as much on her bucket list as possible.

Tahira said: “We don’t know what the future’s going to hold and we want to make sure that she can experience as much as she can while she’s still got the sight.

“I want to make sure that she has the same opportunities that everyone else has. Her dreams shouldn’t change because of this disability.”

One thing Maya has wanted to do for years is dye her hair a fun colour.

When Corey Loveday, owner of Anything But Ordinary Salon, heard about this, he decided to give her a free surprise appointment to create a pink ombré look.

Corey said: “When I found out about Maya’s eyesight, the more Tahira was telling me about it, the more I thought it’d be a lovely idea to help her and do her hair.

“I wanted it to feel really fun and colourful and for her to be able to see it.”

For Maya, her new hair makes her feel “nice” and “confident”, and has attracted amazed reactions from her friends and family.

Stargardt disease currently has no cure, but Maya’s family are exploring private treatment pathways and possible clinical trials.

To support them with this, close family friend Bri Miller set up a Crowdfunder which has already raised almost £3,000.

Bri described the fundraiser, which will also help Maya access adaptations for her daily life, as a “fluffy cloud” within a dark time with an aim to provide reassurance and hope.

“(The fundraiser) brings a sense of community and it is so good to experience that first hand,” Bri said.

“This situation can be hard sometimes but we can make a little bit of light.”

Now Maya is focused on ticking off more foals from her bucket list, alongside raising more awareness of Stargardt disease on social media.

Creative at heart, Maya loves to draw, paint, read, and write stories.

She doesn’t know what the future will hold but one thing she knows for sure is this: Stargardt disease isn’t going to stop her from living her dreams.