Feb 9, 2011 | Donor Stories
Evelyn’s dedication to others inspired her pledge to become an eye donor.
When Evelyn of Missouri passed away from a heart attack, her family had no idea she had pledged to become an eye donor through the state’s donor registry.
Said her daughter, Deanna, “Mom had just gotten her driver’s license renewed a few months before her passing. On her license she had check-marked the box that she wanted to be a cornea donor. This was a surprise to all of us. Giving Mom’s corneas was still a very hard decision for Dad.”
Because Missouri became a first-person consent state in 2008, the decision to donate rests solely on the donor instead of the family. While her husband had trouble comprehending her decision initially, he and their children were inspired by her pledge, and they too made the choice to donate.
“It was something we talked about after her passing,” remarked Deanna. “Since donation was something that was important to her, we all made the decision we would check the box as well.”
While Evelyn’s decision was an initial surprise, her reasoning behind it wasn’t. Evelyn, a mother to four and a grandmother to nine, had long put others’ needs before her own whether it was volunteering at her church or writing letters to seniors living in nursing homes. According to Deanna, “Mom and Dad lived in a small community and knew people that needed help. If someone was in need, they were right there to provide assistance.”
Evelyn’s help didn’t end in Southwest Missouri. She and her sister both volunteered for and offered financial assistance to Asian Women & Children (AWC), a missionary in Thailand which provides support to women and a home for up to 50 orphaned girls each year. In lieu of flowers at Evelyn’s funeral, close to $3,000 was donated to AWC in her honor.
Since her passing, Evelyn continues to help others because of her pledge. Through her gift of sight, two individuals – a gentleman in Missouri and an individual in El Salvador – have been able to escape a lifetime of blindness.
To learn more about Missouri’s first-person consent registry or to pledge to donate, please visit www.donatelifemissouri.com.
Feb 8, 2011 | Recipient Stories
After her two cornea transplants, Wilma chose to give back to others.
Imagine living your life as if you were looking through waxed paper. You couldn’t read the newspaper or your favorite recipes. You would have trouble identifying your grandchildren on the soccer field. You could no longer safely drive your car, relying on others to get anywhere.
For Wilma of Decatur, Ill., all of these, and many other issues, were realities because of her battle against Fuch’s dystrophy, a genetic eye disease that slowly steals one’s vision. Her only escape from permanent blindness? A corneal transplant using donated tissue from Heartland Lions Eye Banks.
In 2009, Wilma underwent two partial thickness corneal transplants. The surgeries themselves went smoothly, but she faced some difficulties in her recovery. “I did have quite a bit of pain the day of and following surgery, but it was well worth it,” said Wilma. “I know friends who’ve had both partial and full cornea transplants, and neither one experienced pain. Every surgery is different, and the pain wasn’t anything that lasted more than a few days.”
Within six weeks of her surgery, this retired bookkeeper and grandmother of five noticed significant improvements in her vision, and is now able to see 20/25 without glasses and 20/20 with corrective lenses for her astigmatism. Today, Wilma is back driving, reading and working on her computer as well as enjoying her favorite hobbies, including genealogy and bird watching.
Remarked Wilma, “It’s just unreal. I look outside and not only see the tree and the leaves, but the stems and the veins of the leaves. And now I can tell the difference between squirrels and rabbits in my yard. I think of those who’ve never been able to see in their lifetime and how fortunate I am to be able to see. It’s very emotional.”
Since her surgery, Wilma continues to make a difference in the Eye Bank’s efforts to improve the eyesight of individuals in Illinois and around the world. She has written her donor families to thank them for their gifts and is a generous financial contributor to the Eye Bank’s mission, helping us to provide free gratis tissue to those in need and to work with researchers in discovering the causes of and cures for eye disease.
In addition, Wilma continues to encourage others to join their state’s registry in honor of those who gave her the gift of sight, “Words can’t tell you how much my donor and donor families mean. They gave me such a precious gift when they lost someone precious to them. I think of them every day when I wake in the morning and open my eyes.”
Wilma is so very thankful as well to everyone involved in her surgeries and recovery. “I will be forever grateful to those involved with the donor families and the donor tissue at the Eye Bank and to my wonderful surgeon, Dr. Matthew Thompson, and his staff at Springfield Clinic in Springfield, Ill. It couldn’t have happened without a multitude of people doing a fantastic job.”
Everyone at the Eye Bank is thrilled we were able to play a part in helping Wilma regain her lost vision and thank her for her continued commitment to helping others facing a lifetime of blindness.
Jan 26, 2011 | Donor Stories
A talented musician, Max created drum cadences that continue to be performed by his high school band,
When 18-year-old Max passed away following an auto accident, the world lost a talented young man. Yet, Max’s legacy lives on – both through his incredible music and his gift of sight.
As a high school student in Kansas, Max discovered a passion for music. He was the captain of his school’s drum line and played percussion in two church praise bands, so it was no surprise when the talented teen received a college scholarship to study music education.
While his talent defined much of who he was, it was his caring spirit that truly impacted those around him. Said his mother, Pam, “One year he found out that a disabled kid in his youth group wouldn’t be able to go to camp if he didn’t have someone along to help him, and Max dropped everything and volunteered so that kid wouldn’t miss out on camp. He didn’t let me tell anyone about that while he was alive – that was typical Max.”
After his death, Max’s high school classmates chose to honor his memory through his music. Throughout the 2010 football season, the marching band performed one of Max’s arrangements at every home game during which the drum line played his cadence while the rest of the band got down on one knee. “It made me cry every time,” Pam shared.
In addition, a memorial in Max’s name raised funds to purchase a marimba, a large percussion instrument, for his former high school. For years, the nine high schools in his school district have passed one marimba back and forth. Now his alma mater has its own instrument for performances.
A Gift that Lives on
When Max lost his life, his parents had to make the agonizing decision whether or not to donate his eyes, organs and tissues. Although they had never previously discussed donation with their son, his parents chose to donate his corneas to help others regain their sight. It was only after the decision was made did his parents learn that Max had indeed signed his driver’s license to be a donor.
For Pam, knowing Max continues to help others through donation has been a light during the grieving process. “Through discussion boards for parents who’ve lost children, I’ve seen so many parents who regret not making the choice to donate. But at the time, you think of your child as a person who still needs things like eyes and organs. I felt if we were going to lose him anyway, I wanted something good to come out of it.”
Because of Max’s gift, two individuals – one in Missouri and one in California – underwent corneal transplants to restore their vision. Like the hundreds of people he touched in his 18 years, these gentlemen’s lives are better because of Max.
Remarked Pam, “I pray that the people who received the gift of his eyes will be blessed by knowing that Max saw life through those eyes, and more importantly, we saw that deep, sweet soul that belonged to Max through them.”
Dec 6, 2010 | Donor Stories
Nolan never thought he could be an eye donor, but his gift helped another man see.
Nolan understood the challenges of blindness and the miracle of organ donation. For 11 years, his mother, who lost her eyesight to glaucoma, lived with Nolan and his wife, Wanda. He also had a cousin whose life was saved thanks to a liver transplant.
When Nolan passed away in 2009, Wanda and their children made the decision to donate his eyes for corneal transplantation through Saving Sight. Remarked Wanda, “We had talked about organ donation, but he didn’t think he could donate because he had different things wrong with him. When we learned he could donate his eyes, it was a blessing. I thought about the eye problems his mother had, and knew he could help someone else out with his gift.”
Though he left this world too early, Nolan had lived a full life in Missouri. After serving in the army as a paratrooper, he went on to work as a door-to-door milkman, manager of a gas company, and eventually owner of his own heating and cooling business. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and woodworking, and held the years, from Sunday school superintendent to song leader to deacon. Nolan was also a talented musician, playing in several bands, including one with his two children.
Nolan was especially known for his wonderful sense of humor. “We never went without laughter in our home,” said Wanda. “He had a big booming laugh that you could hear from the front door to the back of the house. He found humor in almost every aspect of life, and people really enjoyed being with him because of it. He genuinely cared for others, and they knew that.”
A few months after his passing, Wanda was introduced to Nolan’s recipient through a heartfelt thank you letter. The family received the letter at Christmastime, telling them of the recipient’s transplant journey and touching the family in a way they couldn’t have imagined.
“Nolan was a great blessing to the recipient’s life. This man was so thankful. He is only 52 with lots of time to be able to do something good in the world, so it helps a lot that he can see.”
Because of Wanda’s donation experience, she encourages others to register as eye, organ and tissue donors in Missouri and has made the pledge herself to give the gift of sight. “I told my kids, because I gave Nolan’s eyes, you have to give my eyes too. I can’t hold mine back. Donation makes such a difference in someone’s life.”
Dec 6, 2010 | Recipient Stories
A cornea transplant saved Jana from completely losing her sight.
In 2008, Jana, an active high school soccer and volleyball player was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer that become infected with the bacteria pseudomonas. Although the infection cleared, it created a scar over her cornea, stealing both her vision and her freedom.
Because the condition affected Jana’s depth perception, she was forced to give up driving and faced difficulties handling every day activities like pouring a glass of milk or maneuvering her crowded high school hallways. Worst of all, Jana battled unbelievable challenges when she returned to the volleyball court.
“I played my senior year of high school, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard,” said Jana. “Since one of my eyes had been impaired, I had lost the ability to have a sense of depth perception and speed. It came as a shock when my dad threw me a ball, and I couldn’t catch it. I had to relearn everything, all of the basics. I had to learn a whole new game of volleyball. Once a starter on the team, I was now a person who had to relearn how to pass a volleyball.”
Finally, in November 2008, Jana underwent a corneal transplant. While the surgery was a success, her recovery was a roller coaster. “My vision varied from day to day, sometimes very drastically. One day I could see better with my ‘good’ eye, then the next I would be running into things because I didn’t see them. At times it got really frustrating – it was like a coin toss to see how well I would see the following day.”
To protect her vision, Jana was under strict restrictions when it came to lifting and protecting her eyes. She had to insert eye drops four times a day, and her eye became very light sensitive, forcing her to wear dark sunglasses anytime she went outside.
As the year passed, Jana was given more privileges in her recovery and began to see her eyesight slowly return. Now she is back to driving and playing both volleyball and soccer. She is also in college, studying marine biology.
Without her donor and donor family, Jana could not be where she is today. “My cornea donor and family mean everything to me. If they didn’t decide to be an organ donor, there is a chance that I would never be able to see out of my eye again. They flipped my life 180 degrees!”
Because of their gift and the difference it made on her life, Jana is a public supporter of eye, organ and tissue donation. “I make a conscious effort at telling people my story and encouraging them to become organ donors. A lot of people are misinformed about organ donation, and I help them get the right information. Also people think of major organs that need to be donated and don’t realize all the smaller items that can enhance somebody’s life tenfold, like a cornea.”
