Jeremy was the kind of person who made everyone feel welcome the moment they met him.
He was friendly, warm, and a steady presence in the lives of those who knew him. With his big
red beard, sky blue eyes, and even bigger smile, he had a way of drawing people in. Whether it
was a conversation, a hug, or simply being there when someone needed him, Jeremy made an
impact that lasted far beyond the moment.
To his wife, he was everything.
The two met at work, and over time built a life filled with love, laughter, and the kind of
everyday moments that mean the most. Sitting on the porch, going for drives, trying new food,
camping, or standing at the front of a concert singing and dancing together, those are the
moments she misses most.
“He was my very best friend,” she said. “I miss just talking to him.”
She describes him as someone who never made her feel unloved.
“He was my biggest fan. I always knew he’d be there to catch me when I fell and cheer me on.
To be loved like that… that will always be the greatest gift of my life.”
That love extended to everyone around him.
Jeremy found joy in music, in bringing people together, and in caring for others. He loved
creating playlists, attending concerts and festivals, and hosting gatherings for friends and
family. No matter the setting, he made people feel at home.
Jeremy valued family, honesty, hard work, and integrity. He showed his care for others in the
way he lived each day, always ready to lend a hand, offer support, or bring people together. He
found joy in entertaining, feeding people, and spending time with friends and family.
Today, his legacy continues in the lives he helped shape.
“He raised our children into good, honest, caring people,” his wife said. “Our friends and family
continue to get together regularly to eat, to entertain, to keep doing what he thought was so
important: being together and living.”
Even in loss, that spirit of giving remains.
Although donation wasn’t something they had discussed in depth, Jeremy had always been
someone who gave to others. As his wife reflected on the decision, it felt like a natural
extension of who he was.
Every year, we have the privilege of celebrating the remarkable Lions and community partners whose service truly embodies our mission: “We change lives by saving sight.” In 2025, we honored Lion Leon Hove as our Lions Ambassador of the Year, a lifelong Lion whose dedication to vision programs, screening initiatives, and international missions inspired all of us. In honor of his service, a $1,000 donation was made in his name to the Missouri Lions Eye Mission Foundation supporting expanded vision care.
Now it’s your turn to help us recognize the next great Lion leader!
Nominations for the 2026 Lions Ambassador of the Year are opening soon. This recognition highlights a Lion or community member — someone whose volunteerism and impact have measurably furthered our mission across Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois over the last year. Nominees should exemplify service above self, live the spirit of the Lions, and inspire others through their work.
A selection committee made up of the Missouri Lions Council Chair, current District Governors, and Saving Sight board members will review nominations. The honoree will be celebrated at the Missouri Lions State Convention and will receive a $1,000 donation in their name to the 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization of their choice.
Who in your club or community has gone above and beyond this year? Keep your nominations ready and let’s continue celebrating Lions who truly make a difference!
For nearly 15 years, Jim has lived with chronic eye disease.
At 39 years old, during a training in Middle Tennessee, his vision suddenly changed. “All of a sudden, my vision got digitized, it was scary,” he recalled.
Within days, he learned his eye pressure was dangerously high. What followed was a long journey of uncontrolled glaucoma, multiple surgeries and mounting complications.
Over the years, Jim underwent 11 eye surgeries, including cataract procedures and the placement of three drainage devices in each eye. For Jim, doctor visits became routine, sometimes monthly, sometimes multiple times in a week often requiring a two-hour drive to see a specialist.
“It just became something I lived with,” Jim said. “Kind of like a thorn in my side for 15 years.”
Eventually, the strain on his eye led to corneal failure. At first, the symptoms were manageable. But over time, his vision grew cloudy and blurry. Light became painful. Driving at night was difficult. In the final month before transplant, the pain intensified and daily tasks became exhausting.
“I was barely seeing out of my left eye,” he said. “That last month was pretty horrible.”
When his physician recommended a cornea transplant, Jim agreed knowing it would likely not be his last due to the complexity of his case. Still, he was ready for relief and the hope of clear sight again.
Three days before surgery, he received the call that a donor cornea had been identified.
The moment carried deep meaning, not only because Jim was about to receive the gift of sight, but because of the work he does every day.
Jim with family
Jim serves as a Family Care Coordinator with Tennessee Donor Services, where he walks alongside families at the time of their loved one’s death, offering the rare and powerful opportunity for organ and tissue donation.
He understands the sacred balance of what he calls “dual advocacy” — caring fully for grieving families while also representing the unseen recipients whose lives hang in the balance.
“In those moments, I’m walking tenderly with a family through profound loss, while holding deep awareness of the recipients whose lives may be forever changed by that moment.”
When he learned a donor had been found for him, his first response was not only gratitude, it was compassion.
“I texted my family and colleagues and said, ‘Please keep the family of my donor in your thoughts. They’re walking through one of the hardest weeks of their lives.”
Cornea transplant surgery is performed while the patient is awake. During the procedure, Jim experienced an unexpected and emotional realization.
“There was this point in surgery,” he shared, pausing, “where I became aware that another person is now part of me.”
That awareness has stayed with him.
Jim after surgery
After surgery, he learned his donor was a 50-year-old woman from Kansas. Though he does not know her story, he thinks often of her family. Having walked with nearly a hundred families in donation conversations, he understands the weight of that decision.
“Pain doesn’t have to be wasted,” Jim said. “Donation becomes one of those ways meaning is found in the most horrific moments.”
Today, just a few months post-transplant, Jim is no longer living with the constant pain that once defined his days.
“I haven’t been in eye pain since the transplant, where I’d had it for years,” he said. “While my vision’s not 100% yet, but it’s not cloudy anymore. It’s life changing.”
His personal experience has deepened the way he approaches families in his professional role.
“Having needed a transplant myself has deepened the way I hold that balance,” he said. “In those moments, I’m mindful that I’m also carrying the voices of people whose lives may be changed by a donor’s gift.”
Jim hopes his story reminds others that donation is deeply human rooted in compassion, legacy and connection between strangers whose lives become forever intertwined.
“It’s absolutely life-changing,” he said. “Because of the selfless act of another person, either someone who registered or a family who said yes, I can work. I can see clearly. I’m not in pain. That matters.” For Jim, donation is no longer only the work he does. It is the gift he carries every single day.
Organ and tissue donation plays a vital role in saving and healing lives. One generous decision can restore sight, improve quality of life, and offer second chances to individuals and families who may have been waiting for hope. Behind every transplant or tissue donation is a story of connection, one person’s choice becoming another person’s opportunity to live, heal, or see the world again.
Despite its life-changing impact, donation is often surrounded by misinformation. Myths and misunderstandings can create unnecessary fear or hesitation, preventing people from learning the facts about how donation works and why it matters. Correcting this misinformation is essential. When people have clear, accurate information, they are better equipped to make informed decisions rooted in compassion rather than uncertainty.
One of the most important, and often overlooked, steps in donation is talking with loved ones about your decision. Registering as an organ and tissue donor is powerful, but sharing that choice ensures your wishes are understood and honored. These conversations provide clarity during emotional moments and offer families reassurance, knowing they are carrying out a decision made with intention and care.
This year’s National Donor Day theme uses trees as a symbol of life and connection. Like trees in a forest, donation creates a network of connection between donors, recipients, and their families. Each gift becomes part of something larger, a living legacy that continues to grow, offering hope, healing, and life long after the original decision is made. This February 14, take a moment to learn the facts, dispel myths, and talk with your loved ones, helping ensure your legacy continues to grow.
Every November, we observe Eye Donation Month —a time to honor the selfless individuals and families who give the gift of sight and to shine a light on the everyday heroes who make it possible. From donor services coordinators and recovery technicians to hospital partners and cornea donors, this month is about celebration, awareness and legacy. As part of this observance, we’re proud to recognize the everyday heroes of our team whose compassion, professionalism and daily dedication embody our mission of changing lives by saving sight Explore their stories and join us in celebrating the impact of every gift.
Stephanie Alba Donor Services Coordinator
Every day at Saving Sight begins with someone like Stephanie, a Donor Services Coordinator who helps make the gift of sight possible through compassion, clarity, and unwavering dedication to our mission of changing lives by saving sight. In her two years with Saving Sight, she has played a vital role at the start of the donation journey, screening potential donors, coordinating with hospitals and funeral homes, and supporting families during some of their hardest moments. For Stephanie, no two days are the same, but her approach never wavers, lead with empathy, stay adaptable, and rely on teamwork. One meaningful moment was when a donor family, moved by their experience, chose to register as donors themselves. For Stephanie, it was a powerful reminder that her role not only impacts recipients today but can inspire future gifts of sight. This Eye Donation Month, we recognize Stephanie and all our Everyday Heroes whose commitment ensures every donor’s legacy shines and more people can experience the gift of sight.
Sarah Plattner Donor Services Coordinator
For more than four years, Sarah has been a steady, compassionate presence at the heart of Saving Sight’s donation process. As a Donor Services Coordinator, she helps honor the wishes of those who have passed while supporting families with care and understanding during some of their hardest moments. Her days are a blend of clinical decision-making, logistical coordination, and human connection reviewing referrals, assessing eligibility with medical partners, guiding recovery timing, and collaborating closely with funeral homes and hospital staff.
Balancing compassion and professionalism, she approaches every call “carefully and respectfully with sensitivity.” She also relies on her team, “an amazing group” she says, who lean on one another’s strengths to navigate complex cases. What stays with her most are the moments when she reads letters from donor families whose gratitude reminds her why this work matters. To Sarah, the true heroes are the donors themselves, and she feels privileged to help ensure their legacy brings hope and the gift of sight to others.
Kalista Huff Recovery Supervisor
For Kalista, no two days as a Recovery Technician ever look the same and that’s part of what makes her work so meaningful. Some days begin with a call that carries her through a full 12-hour case; other days include a recovery followed by quiet moments of office work. But every day brings the chance to change someone’s life.
Her inspiration for this work is deeply personal, at 15, she watched her father struggle with keratoconus. Witnessing that journey shaped her future in ways she couldn’t have expected. It gave her a profound understanding of what restored sight can mean and lit the spark that now drives her every day.
That sense of purpose is never more present than when she’s scrubbed in. In those moments, her focus narrows to the donor before her and the gift they’re offering. She approaches each recovery with the same care she would want someone to give her own loved ones, focusing on precise technique, quality, and dignity.
To Kalista, being an everyday hero means showing up with skill, compassion, and gratitude, knowing that every action she takes has the power to change someone’s world.
Lauren Brownell Recovery Technician
For Lauren, no two days as a Recovery Technician are ever alike — a truth she’s embraced wholeheartedly for over 10 years. Each day brings something new, but her purpose remains constant: to honor donors with the utmost dignity and help restore sight for someone waiting for a second chance.
Lauren approaches each recovery with the belief that donors are the true heroes of cornea donation. She treats each donor as though they were in the room with her, watching every step. This mindset grounds her in purpose and guides her commitment to recovering the highest-quality tissue because every cornea is one of a kind, and every recipient deserves the best chance at restored sight.
One of the most profound experiences of her career has been watching corneas she recovered being transplanted. Seeing that moment, the exact tissue she held with care now offering someone renewed sight, is something she describes as indescribably rewarding.
To Lauren, being called an “everyday hero” feels undeserved, she believes that honor belongs to donors and their families. Yet through her compassion, precision, and unwavering commitment, she embodies exactly what it means to help change lives by saving sight.
Nicole Taylor Client Services Specialist
For Nicole, every day is an opportunity to bring donors’ gifts to the people who need them most. As a Client Services Specialist, she helps guide each donated cornea from evaluation to the operating room, coordinating with Medical Review, surgeons, and departments across Saving Sight to ensure every transplant has what it needs to succeed.
What motivates her most is knowing that every task she completes, every phone call, every schedule finalized, and every tissue placement is one step closer to someone regaining the ability to see. She approaches her work with accuracy, compassion, and deep respect for the donor whose gift makes it all possible.
One experience that stays with her is meeting a transplant recipient during a tour at the Kansas City office. He shared how his vision loss had put his life on hold and how receiving the cornea she helped place allowed him to move through the world freely again. Seeing the human impact of her work firsthand was a powerful reminder of why she does what she does.
Nicole believes the true heroes are the donors, but she also sees how her team embodies everyday heroism through their diligence, passion, and teamwork. Together, they ensure every gift is honored and every transplant has the best possible chance to change a life.
Stella Cunningham Cornea Lab Technician
As a Cornea Laboratory Technician, Stella helps carry each donated cornea through some of its most critical final steps on its way to transplant. Her role ensures that every tissue is evaluated with care, processed with precision, and prepared for delivery to surgeons or research partners.
Lab work is intensely collaborative. No two days are quite the same, and Stella moves between roles depending on what the day requires. One moment she might be evaluating tissue under the microscope, the next she may be preparing grafts for surgeons or packaging tissue for research that will further advance sight-saving techniques. Every task is a meaningful part of honoring a donor’s gift.
For Stella, this work has been both meaningful and personally transformative. As a perfectionist, she once struggled with the weight of processing tissue tied to someone’s legacy. With support from her colleagues, she learned that not every challenge is within her control but her commitment to honoring donors never wavers.
Through every step in the lab, Stella ensures that a donor’s gift is honored and transformed into the life-changing gift of sight. A quiet, yet powerful testament to the everyday heroism that happens behind the scenes at Saving Sight
Randall Reed Cornea Lab Technician
In the journey from donation to transplant, the Cornea Lab is one of the final and most crucial stops in honoring each donor’s gift. For Randy, this work is both a responsibility and a privilege. Each cornea brought in by the Recovery team is carefully evaluated to determine the best type of transplant for each unique tissue.
No two days are ever the same. “Our work is very fluid,” he says. “We have to be ready to switch gears at any moment to honor the donor’s gift and provide consistent quality for recipients.”
Attention to detail and a desire to refine his skills are essential in his role. Randy and his team examine every cornea thoroughly and process grafts to meet the precise needs of surgeons and their patients.
What keeps him motivated is simple: “The most rewarding part is knowing that every cornea we process is going to help someone in need.”
For Randy, being an everyday hero means showing up each day ready for a challenge and doing everything he can to ensure every graft honors the donor and offers hope to someone waiting to see again.
