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Retired Pediatrics Nurse Finds Relief through Corneal Transplantation

Retired Pediatrics Nurse Finds Relief through Corneal Transplantation

Mar 26, 2019 | Recipient Stories

Haley, Elaine and Rick at the Candlelight Memorial in Springfield on March 16th.

As a retired pediatrics nurse and two-time cornea transplant recipient, Elaine is familiar with the impact eye, organ and tissue transplantation has on the lives of others.

Elaine has keratoconus, a progressive eye disease that thins the cornea and causes it to become cone-shaped, distorting vision. To help with her worsening vision, Elaine underwent her first cornea transplant in the 1980s. After her transplant, Elaine was given gas permeable contact lenses. These contacts ended up causing corneal abrasions and Elaine discontinued wearing a contact in that eye. “Over the years it had become very scarred to the point my eyelid could not close at night and this caused dryness and discomfort. I also could not see through the scar,” says Elaine. She also had cataract surgery on that eye, which added to her corneal scarring.
Elaine had been told her corneal scarring and vision couldn’t be corrected in that eye. Due to the pain she was experiencing, she and her best friend decided to seek a second opinion. That’s when she discovered optometrist Dr. David Pierce. “I absolutely adore my optometrist, Dr. Pierce. He’s just so caring and referred me to Dr. Daniel Osborn who is an ophthalmologist. They discussed my case and decided they could replace my cornea transplant. Dr. Osborn did a fabulous job!”
Dr. Obsborn performed Elaine’s second corneal transplant on June 16, 2018 and she is healing well. As of February 2019, Elaine’s vision is testing 20/25 in her transplant eye and she hopes to continue getting better once the rest of her stitches are removed.
“The pain I went through previously was just horrible,” says Elaine. “What I’ve been through with the second transplant has been worth it with my eye not drying out at night and fussing with the drops. I’m more comfortable and better now.”
Thanks to her cornea transplant, Elaine, who celebrated her 81st birthday this February, is able to enjoy watching birds outdoors and from her dining room window again. She and her husband HF also are able to keep up with their 5 kids, 12 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren now as well.
Connecting through Correspondence
Elaine chose to write to her donor’s family to say thank you for their generosity that made her transplant possible. “The tissue is so priceless to the people who need it. I will be forever thankful to her (Elaine’s eye donor), to her family and to God for my new cornea. When you help someone else the blessings will always be returned to you.”
Sharing Her Story at the Springfield Candlelight Memorial
Saving Sight was honored to co-host a Candlelight Memorial with Mid-America Transplant on Saturday, March 16, 2019. We participate in this event annually to honor eye, organ and tissue donor families. Elaine spoke at the event to share her gratitude for her restored sight as a cornea recipient.

Happy Holidays from Saving Sight!

Happy Holidays from Saving Sight!

Nov 19, 2018 | News, Recipient Stories

Happy Holidays from Saving Sight!

Cynthia captured the crisp, winter scene pictured as our 2018 featured holiday artist.

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Happy Holidays!

Thanks to our staff, partners, volunteers and supporters of our work in eye donation, more corneal recipients like Cynthia are able to enjoy the twinkling holiday lights and watch the first snowfall of the season. And more donor families are able to find comfort in their loved one’s legacy living on through the gift of sight in 2018.

We wish you a bright holiday season and look forward to our continued work in the new year. Happy Holidays, from all of us at Saving Sight!

 

 

About the Artist

Thanks to the generosity of three eye donors, Cynthia was able to correct her vision through the gift of sight. “Prior to the loss of my sight at the age of 20, I was a photographer, so you can see how important my eyes were to me,” she says. Cynthia has Keratoconus and started losing her sight due to the thinning of her cornea that caused blurred vision. “My hope of recovering my eyesight came in the form of eye donors and skilled surgeons and physicians. Words cannot express what kind of hope I was given through the blessings of people I do not know.”

Read Her Full Story

Maddie’s Gift

Maddie’s Gift

Nov 18, 2018 | Donor Stories

In a time of tragedy, Maddie’s legacy lives on as an eye and tissue donor.

Jim Allmon shares how his stepdaughter’s legacy lives on through eye and tissue donation.

My story or should I say “Our Story” is one that I refuse to let define my family. It is unique and, unfortunately, tragically ironic. On Friday May 5,  2017 there was a prom crash reenactment at the New Berlin High School. I have done several dozen of these reenactments at local high schools in Sangamon County throughout my 16 year career at the Coroner’s Office. I am the Chief Deputy Coroner for the County and it is one of my responsibilities to speak to a lot of the high school kids prior to them attending their prom. We speak about the dangers of distractive driving, drinking and driving and making good decisions the night of their prom. Maddie was a junior at New Berlin High School and witnessed our crash reenactment. Once the crash reenactment is over, all of the students go into the school gym and listen to me speak for a short time about my job. They heard how hard it is for me to talk to the parents of kids lost in car wrecks and how most of them could have been avoided. I remember Maddie raising her hand and asking me a question while we were in the gym and I remember calling Maddie’s name and telling the whole school she was my daughter and I answered her silly question. I left that day thinking that the program went well and that we maybe got our message through to the kids.

On May 6, 2017 Maddie went to her junior prom and then to her after prom at the high school gym. Maddie was a straight A student and a cheerleader. She was popular with the kids and really knew how to light up a room. On May 7, 2017 I was on call and I remember being woke up to the familiar sound of my work cell phone ringing. It was about 8am and it was a beautiful Sunday morning. I answered the phone and I heard the familiar voice of my friend and dispatcher telling me that there had been motor vehicle crash not far from my house. I got up like I always do and got ready to go to the call. It must have only been a few minutes that it took me to get ready. I told my wife that I had a call and I had to go. I told her it was a car wreck and as always, she told me to be careful and she would see me in a little while. I got dressed and headed out the door. As I was walking to my car I heard a scream come from inside my house.  I remember running back up my driveway toward the house and my wife came running towards me. She tossed the phone to me and said “Jimmy, NO”. It was the Illinois State Police and they had went to the residence where Maddie’s car was registered (her dad’s house) and had told Courtney (my wife) that Maddie had been in a bad wreck. I remember taking the phone and asking the State Trooper if it was our Maddie. They said that it was her and she had appeared to have fallen asleep, crossed the center line and hit a semi-truck head on. Maddie had left after-prom when it was over and dropped one of her friends off. Maddie did everything right that night. She was not drinking, she was not on any drugs and she was not on her phone. Maddie had been up for about 30 hours straight and simply fell asleep.

There has not been one single day that goes by since that day that I have not thought about that morning at least several times. Shortly after hearing about the wreck, my wife and I were sitting in our bedroom with our girls trying to figure out how to absorb this unimaginable thing. As I sat there I thought, how can I make this better… I thought that there is no way I can fix this. Then I thought that maybe there is a way, that there could be something good come from this horrific thing. I started making calls and reached out to Saving Sight and Gift of Hope. I remember hoping that there was still some time for Maddie to be able to donate. The process went very smoothly – everyone I talked to seemed very passionate about their job and cognizant of what we were going through. I remember telling my wife that I was extremely happy to be able to make a decision for Maddie that she would have wanted me to make. Shortly after Maddie’s funeral we received a letter from Saving Sight that told us two different people now have the gift of sight because of Maddie. One of the recipients was a 5 year old girl. That letter has become part of Maddie’s story. Maddie’s gift will also touch approximately 67 lives as a tissue donor as well.

Continuing Maddie’s Legacy

We decided to give back to our wonderful community after everyone did so much for us. Our community carried us through that year of firsts and really helped us get where we are today. We had a Golf Outing to raise money for scholarships to be given to a New Berlin High School Senior once a year for the next 5 years. Maddie would have been a senior this year and was on track to graduate with honors. We were able to raise enough money to give away $9,000 in scholarships this year and give away $1,000 a year for the next 5 years to a New Berlin Senior Cheerleader. Thanks to several sponsors (including Saving Sight) we were able to have a great outing that raised a lot of money for these kids.

Left photo: Courtney Allmon; Erica Roberts, Donation Liaison at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network and Deputy Coroner at Sangamon County Coroner’s Office; Jim Allmon. Right photo: Erica Roberts and Jim Allmon with Maddie’s sisters, Gabby Allmon, Abby Finch, and Isabelle Allmon.

Cynthia’s Story – A Photographer’s Vision

Cynthia’s Story – A Photographer’s Vision

Nov 17, 2018 | Recipient Stories

“Prior to the loss of my sight at the age of 20, I was a photographer, so you can see how important my eyes were to me,” Cynthia says.

The vibrant colors of a flower in spring. Seeing a bumblebee buzz and dart through the garden. The crisp outline of a frozen snowflake on the windowpane. All of these sights are just a few of the many beautiful moments Cynthia has captured through her photography. As the progressive and degenerative eye disease Keratoconus began to worsen and blur her vision, Cynthia could no longer see the images she once loved to photograph.

“Prior to the loss of my sight at the age of 20, I was a photographer, so you can see how important my eyes were to me,” Cynthia says. “I have Keratoconus and slowly started to lose my sight due to a thinning of the cornea causing blurred vision. By the age of 20 I had a cane and was considered legally blind in both eyes. My eyes hurt all the time and, as you can imagine, I was scared. However, my hope of recovering my eyesight came in the form of two organ donors and skilled surgeons and physicians. My eye sight was better than 20/20 after the procedures!”

Once her sight was restored, Cynthia began playing with photography to find different ways to show others a glimpse of how she saw the world with Keratoconus. She was able to capture a photo that provides a great visual of what she saw before and after her corneal transplants. It was important to Cynthia to capture this photo to show others the impact cornea donation and transplantation makes in so many lives.

As is sometimes the case with Keratonconus, Cynthia’s condition returned and she underwent a third transplant this year. “Though hard to go through a second time in life, I am now 38 years old and this summer I received yet another cornea transplant!”

“Words cannot express what kind of hope I was given through the blessings of people I do not know! Through the love and kindness I have been shown I return it every day by being as kind and giving as I possibly can be to others. Thus, the lives of those who gave to me keep giving now through me,” she says. “I will spend my life paying it forward as my thanks to organizations like Saving Sight and to all the people involved in the process of restoring my and many others eyesight.”

Cynthia captured these before and after photos to show others a glimpse of how she saw the world with Keratoconus.

 

 

Cynthia’s Photography Gallery

Jason’s Letter of Thanks

Jason’s Letter of Thanks

Nov 17, 2018 | Recipient Stories

 Jason’s Letter

After Jason received a cornea transplant, he asked his sister to help him write a letter to his eye donor’s family to thank them for their selfless gift. 

Jason and Mistie on her wedding day. Jason was her husband’s best man.

Jason’s Letter of Thanks

Jason and Mistie are brother and sister and best friends. After Jason received a cornea transplant, he asked his sister to help him write a letter to his eye donor’s family to thank them for their selfless gift.

Jason and Mistie chose to share their letter with Saving Sight to highlight the life-changing impact eye donation has had for Jason and to thank all eye donors and their families for helping others in their time of grief.

Dear Donor Family:                                                                                                                                          

I am the recipient of a cornea from your loved one. I am having my sister write for me as I don’t write too well. I want to thank you for helping me see again. I am 38 years old and had developed a condition that alters the shape of my cornea. At the time of my transplant, the cornea in my left eye was the shape of a football and I could no longer see even the big E on the eye chart. I had severe headaches due to the eyestrain because of this. I was told that I would go blind because I have the same condition in both eyes. I was having trouble reading, was bumping into things and could not even watch my favorite sports teams play their sports.

Now a little past a month past surgery, I can see!! My vision continues to improve daily and now both eye are equal in vision. I can read the fifth line on the eye chart unassisted. When I went back to the doctor they day after surgery, I was so excited to be able to see. I looked at my sister and mom and exclaimed, “I can see!!” then had to read the line for the doctor. No more headaches, I can watch my baseball games and see to read my books. Every day I am seeing more and smaller things.

While I know that the loss of someone was necessary for me to see, I am thankful. I am sad for your loss and I pray for your family’s comfort. I want you to know that to be given this gift means so much to me. You have given me my life of sports and books back. For that you will have my eternal gratitude.

May God bless and comfort you,

Jason

From Jason’s Sister:

Dear Donor Family,

My brother Jason is very special to me. He and I are 14 months apart and he was my first playmate, my best friend, and even partner in crime growing up. You gift means so much more to my family because he is one of God’s special children. Jason may be an adult but he has the mind and heart of a child. He will never grow up.

Jason has the most loving heart I have ever met. I have seen him be bullied and immediately after he heals, he goes up to the tormentors and offers them friendship. While Jason may not change the world through a career, he changes it by being himself. Jason always sees the good in everyone. He is quick to forgive and no one is a stranger. Most importantly he not only shares his faith in God, he lives it.

Jason loves all sports. When asked what is his favorite, he can tell you that it is ______ season and his favorite team is _______ and what their record is. Then tell you that they play _____ tonight … and it continues.

When I heard about Jason’s eyes, I was saddened because it would mean that he one day would be blind. He struggled so much to learn to read. He finally succeeded at the age of 13. Mom and I used Archie comic books to encourage him and reward him for every new thing he read. As he discovered the written word, I would hear “Sissy what’s this word?” “Sissy read to me.”

When Mom approached Jason about writing you and what it meant, he broke down into tears. He hated the idea that someone had to die for him to get the transplant. Then he immediately asked me, “Sissy can you pray for them with me?” I have no doubt he remembers your family in his prayers daily, that is just the way my big brother is.

He told me what he wanted to say in his letter and asked me to write it. While his letter is in my hand, it comes from his heart.

My prayer is that these letters offer you some comfort and peace in your decision to donate your loved one’s organs. Please know that the gift you have bestowed on us will never be taken for granted, no did it go to someone more special. I know that my brother may not be considered worthy of such a gift because of his being mentally handicapped but we are so blessed by it. In closing, your loved one must have been a very special person because he/she has to be in order to view the world through such a special eye.

May God continue to hold you in his hand,

Mistie (Jason’s Sister)