Savannah was an 8-year-old girl who'd never seen the faces of the people who love her.

“I kept wondering if I’m doing the right thing. Being blind was her world,” said Ravana Watring, Savannah’s grandmother. “And I kept thinking, ‘What if I'm doing wrong by taking her world from her?’”

She got her answer 13 time zones away in a hospital in Quingdoa,China, where grandmother, dad and aunt took Savannah for seven stem cell infusions.

Doctors said it would be three to six months before they would see any change. But, after her fourth treatment, something amazing happened in an elevator.

“When Savannah was facing the mirror, she said, ‘Hi.’ Brent looked at me and I looked at Brent. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The face she saw was her own,” said Watring.

Now she's learning shapes, numbers and letters.

“It was like one day she was not seeing anything and the next day she was seeing the letter e and which way the legs went,” said Shonna Millsap, Savannah’s aunt.

Her family believes the improvement is nothing short of a miracle.

“I'm not a bit sorry. I'd do it all over again. It might plateau over the next few months and if, we need to go back, we will,” said Watring.

Doctors say Savannah's blindness was caused by a condition known as optic nerve hypoplasia. Many are quick to point out the risks with this or any other experimental procedure.

Insurance wouldn't pay for the procedure, and it's very expensive. The family got more than $50,000 from fundraisers to pay for Savannah's care.
----

Syracuse is on U.S. 50 between Sedalia and California.