Ten-year-old Coco Ferguson proudly waves a spiral notebook in the air.

“I drew Reshiram,” she says with a grin.

On the page in front of her is a black-and-white sketch of the draconian Pokémon.

For Coco, formally called Kristen, life’s greatest pleasure is allowing her imagination to take over.

“Sometimes I’m a cheetah, a pretty princess, a spaceman, a butterfly or a royal chess player,” she says.

The aspiring artist likes capturing her flares of creativity on paper — her favorite subjects being horses, dresses and, of course, Pokémon.

But her ocular albinism makes this endeavor a little complicated.

Ocular albinism is a genetic condition that reduces coloring, or pigmentation, of the iris and the retina, which is essential for normal vision. The condition is characterized by a loss of visual sharpness and problems with depth perception.

“Sometimes I have to look real close to see the paper lines,” she says.

Coco says her condition occasionally makes her feel a little less-than-special, but she is quick to acknowledge the silver lining.

“The best part about it is getting extra help when you need it, “she says. “I have this thing at school where I talk to an exceptional children teacher. She helped me make my computer screen larger, which makes it easier to do things.”

“I also get extra shade!” Ocular albinism can cause increased light sensitivity. “I love the shade,” Coco says.

But these little accommodations for making life with ocular albinism easier don’t compare to Coco’s greatest asset — the company of her sister.

 

Cassie, Coco’s 12-year-old sister, has muscular dystrophy. MD is a genetic disorder in which a person’s muscles deteriorate over time.

As Cassie puts it, if you’re affected by MD, “You can’t do as much as other people can, like pushups, running or playing basketball.”

Cassie admits that she sometimes gets disappointed about the setbacks of the muscular disorder. “I get frustrated because I can’t get off the floor easily, and I can’t do things my friends can do. I want to play softball or be a cheerleader, but I can’t because of muscular dystrophy.”

Fortunately MD doesn’t stop Cassie from doing what she enjoys most: reading. For most people, reading provides an escape into a fantasy world full of knights, secret agents or Southern belles. For Cassie, reading is a way to push through the limitations of her body set forth by reality. “When I read, I can visualize what’s happening, and it lets me experience things I can’t in real life,” she says.

Last year, Cassie attended the Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp. At camp, she was able to meet other children with MD and participate in physical challenges made available especially for her.

“There are kids like me from all over North Carolina,” she says. “We swim and do ropes courses. I’m happy to know I’m not the only one like this.”

When she’s not in camp, to find companionship, all she has to do is take a peek into the stuffed-animal-haven of a bedroom across the hall: her sister’s room.

 

Together Cassie and Coco cheer each other up when one is feeling down and provide mutual entertainment around the clock.

“We are each other’s companion to help each other out with the disabilities,” Coco says. “You always have to have someone to play with. We always have to get along. She fixes my cereal.”

“I’d be a loner without her,” agrees Cassie.

Both girls take solace in their Christian religion. They are active in their church in their hometown of Marion, N.C. They gain comfort by reading the Bible and knowing that someone is looking out for them from above. But they make sure to look out for each other down below as well.

The sisters say they stand up for each other in times of need — like getting in trouble for harboring candy on a school bus.

“This evening when I was getting off the bus, this girl said she was going to tell on me for opening up a box of Dots, so Cassie said she’d tell on her.”

When asked if she was guilty as charged, Coco confesses, “I did open the box. They were tasty.”

It’s hard to squeeze in a serious moment with the Ferguson sisters. Cassie and Coco are constantly meeting up to play in a world created from their imagination, a place where the official language appears to be laughter.

“If I didn’t have her, I’d be so lonely. She makes me laugh,” Coco says. “We like to goof off a lot. What can I say, she’s like a sister to me — that’s the best part.”