Mother Surprises Visually Impaired Son with a Special Message on Her Manicure (Exclusive)

Karissa Livia's latest manicure came with a message.

Livia surprised her 15-year-old son, Shay, who is visually impaired, with a touching gesture — a custom manicure that incorporated braille. The nails, which were topped with raised gems, spelled out “Love U, Shay,” and were shared on a now-viral TikTok.

“I’m always trying to find ways to make him feel included in the world,” Karissa exclusively tells PEOPLE. The idea came about after followers made the suggestion in response to an earlier video in which Karissa described a manicure to Shay.

When Shay discovered the braille on his mother’s nails, he exclaimed, “You got braille on your nails? Ouuu! Hype, baby, hype.” His face lit up with joy as he ran his fingers over the raised dots, reading aloud the lovely message his mother chose for him.

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The nail technician, who had never created braille nails before, used rhinestones to transform the tactical dots. The innovative approach ensured Shay could easily read the message.

Throughout the video, Karissa described the color of her nails to Shay, which raised questions from many viewers. However, she believes in the importance of providing Shay with a rich understanding of the world around him, she says. “Regardless of how he interprets something, I still think it’s important to describe things to him,” Karissa explains, adding that Shay associates colors with feelings and memories.

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“For him, having that touch sense was really big,” Karissa adds. “I want to make sure that I do everything I can to help him thrive and be the best that he can be because I felt like if he knows I or other people feel bad for him then he's just gonna feel bad for himself, and so I wanted to ensure that I’m able to instill resilience in him.”

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TikTok users praised Karissa’s dedication to her son, with one commenting, “That’s the best. Showing your son just how much you love him.” Another wrote, “You should get the mom of the year award for doing such an amazing thing like that for your son.”

Since the video went viral, Karissa hopes others will find creative ways to connect with their loved ones. “Everybody is different, and it’s important that we all work to make everyone feel included,” she says.

Read the original article on People