Jun 21, 2026 | Donor Stories
On Father’s Day, we celebrate the fathers who shape our lives through their love, guidance, and presence. For Marko’s family, those qualities defined every aspect of who he was.
Marko and wife
“Marko was the calm to my chaos,” his wife shared. “The yin to my yang. He offered perspectives I hadn’t considered and reminded me not to take life too seriously.”
He started the car on cold mornings. He made coffee before anyone asked. He checked in with loved ones just because. He helped friends when they needed support and never hesitated to lend a hand to a stranger. Whether helping someone with luggage, offering a kind word, or making sure those around him felt comfortable, Marko found countless ways to care for others.
His wife remembers his frequent reminders to “keep an eye on the sky” whenever bad weather approached. Looking back, the phrase feels fitting for someone who was always looking out for the people he loved.
That caring nature became even more evident when Marko became a father.
When he and his wife learned they were expecting twins, Marko was present for every appointment, every milestone, and every moment of uncertainty. When their children arrived prematurely and required care in the NICU, he never wavered.
Despite long days spent traveling between home, work, the hospital, and back again, he remained a constant source of strength for his growing family.
“He smiled and supported us all,” his wife recalled.
Fatherhood deepened Marko’s understanding of what mattered most in life. After spending more than 19 years with his employer, he made the courageous decision to leave his job so he could devote more time to the people he loved most.
Marko and daughter
His children became the center of his world.
Each day, “Meteorologist Marko” would provide the family’s weather report before everyone started their day. He filled their home with music, laughter, movie quotes, jokes, and puns. He shared his love of cooking through carefully prepared meals and expressed himself through music, teaching himself to play the harmonica and creating playlists for those he cared about.
Whether caring for animals, spending time with family, or simply making someone smile, Marko approached life with intention and kindness.
His love extended beyond his immediate family. He spoke with his mother nearly every morning, checking in and offering support whenever she needed it. He believed in giving people opportunities and often reminded those around him that sometimes all someone needs is a chance.
Though his life ended far too soon, the impact of his generosity continues today.
On New Year’s Eve, Marko’s final act reflected the way he lived his life: putting others first.
Through eye donation, Marko restored sight to two individuals through cornea transplantation. For his family, that gift carries special meaning. His wife’s own father is a cornea transplant recipient, giving them a unique understanding of the life-changing impact donation can have.
Just as Marko spent his life helping others see the good in difficult situations, caring for those around him, and guiding his family through life’s challenges, his gift of donation now helps two people experience the world through restored sight.
His legacy lives on in the family he cherished, the friends he supported, the kindness he shared, and the gift of vision he provided to others.
Though his loved ones no longer see him beside them each day, they continue to see his influence everywhere in the music he loved, the values he passed on, the children he adored, and the countless memories that remain.
This Father’s Day, Marko is remembered not only as a devoted husband and father, but as a man whose generosity continues to change lives.
His story is a reminder that a father’s love doesn’t end with his lifetime. Through the lives he touched and the sight he restored, Marko’s legacy continues to shine.
May 12, 2026 | Donor Stories
Xander never met a stranger. According to his mom, Amber, he had a way of making people laugh no matter what kind of day they were having. A natural jokester from the time he was little, Xander filled every room with humor, energy, and stories that often left people shaking their heads and laughing at the same time.
“Everybody’s memories of him are the same,” Amber said. “He always made you laugh.”
At just 19 years old, Xander had already built a life full of passion, creativity, and big dreams. He had recently begun working alongside his grandfather at the family auto shop, learning the trade and preparing to eventually take over the business one day. While schoolwork was never his favorite thing, Amber said Xander was incredibly bright and entrepreneurial, always thinking about his next big idea.
Outside of mechanics, Xander was deeply artistic. “He was always creative,” Amber said. “He loved art.” He loved drawing and had recently begun teaching himself tattooing. After receiving a tattoo machine for Christmas, he practiced tirelessly, even tattooing himself first before creating pieces for family members, cousins, and his girlfriend.
He also loved spending time with the people closest to him. Some of Amber’s favorite memories are the simple ones, laughing together late into the night, telling stories, and enjoying each other’s company.
One memory stands out above the rest.
A few months before his passing Xander traveled from Missouri to Georgia to visit Amber. During the trip, the two stayed up all night creating a scavenger hunt for his girlfriend. Xander planned to surprise her with a promise ring that had been passed down through the family, and together they worked on clues and rhymes for the special moment.
“We laughed until we cried,” Amber remembered. “We were deliriously tired, but we had so much fun.”
Before he boarded his early morning flight home, Amber tucked a note into his backpack telling him how much she loved the visit and how much fun they had shared together. Later, seeing a video of the moment and the joy on his face during the scavenger hunt became a memory she now holds close to her heart.
Just months later, Amber’s world changed forever when Xander was involved in a fatal crash only a short distance from work.
In the midst of unimaginable grief, Amber knew one thing clearly: Xander would want to help others. Just a few years earlier when he received his driver’s license, Xander made the decision to register as an eye, organ, and tissue donor.
“He would give you the shirt off his back, even if it was the only one he had,” Amber said.
Through donation, Xander was able to save and heal multiple lives through organ, tissue, and cornea donation. His heart, kidneys, liver, corneas, and additional tissues helped others in need, creating a legacy that continues far beyond his 19 years.
For Amber, knowing Xander’s generosity lives on in others has brought comfort during an incredibly painful time.
“It gives another layer of comfort knowing that even though our loved one has passed away, they’re still living on through somebody else,” she said. “Somebody else’s son or daughter, mom or dad, brother or sister is able to continue living.”
Xander’s legacy continues not only through the lives he impacted through donation, but also through the people inspired by his story. Since his passing, several friends and family members have registered as organ, eye, and tissue donors in his honor. Amber and her family are also working to establish a scholarship fund in his memory.
During Donate Life Month, blue and green ribbons wrapped around the trees outside Amber’s home served as a visible reminder of Xander’s lasting impact and the gifts he gave to others.
Though his life was far too short, Amber says Xander lived fully, loved deeply, and left an unforgettable mark on everyone around him. “He did more in 19 years than most people do in a lifetime,” she said.
Apr 1, 2026 | Donor Stories
Jeremy at the beach
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.
Sep 30, 2025 | Donor Stories
Esther Fay Sayler
Esther grew up on a small dry-land farm in rural central Kansas, where hard work and family values shaped the life she would go on to live. She married her high school sweetheart, a farmer, and together they built a life rooted in love, resilience, and community.
For a time, Esther taught junior high English before staying home with her two children. When they were old enough, she returned to school to earn her master’s degree in psychology, beginning a long career dedicated to helping others as a psychologist.
Her children fondly remember summers spent traveling together, often to Colorado but sometimes all the way to the coasts, as well as lively gatherings at their home filled with laughter, card games of ten-point pitch, and annual Fourth of July celebrations.
Music was one of Esther’s deepest passions. A gifted musician, she played the piano, organ, and baritone, sharing her talents with her church, its choir, and at countless weddings and funerals. She continued to play piano well into her final days. Esther was also a gifted writer, capturing moments of farm life, family, and personal reflection through short stories, poetry, and three published books.
Above all, Esther loved her family deeply, especially her granddaughters, who were the light of her life. Known for her quick wit, her warmth, and even her famous
potato salad, she brought joy wherever she went.
Esther chose to be a donor, a decision her family proudly honored. “It makes perfect sense for her to continue that legacy even after death,” her daughter shared. “She spent her life helping others—through her work, on the farm, with her family, and even in retirement sewing hundreds of dresses and comforters for those in need.”
Esther’s story is one of service, creativity, and love that continues to ripple outward. Her words, like her life, remain a gift. To close, her family shared her last poem as a way of honoring her voice and memory:
A NEW RHYTHM – written by Esther Fay Sayler in June of 2025 (1948-2025)
“Flow”
“Gush”
Origins for our word “rhythm”
Rhythm is Inherent in nature’s music
The courtship of birds
The distant rumble of jungle elephants
The snarl of a dirigible
The vibration of a 32 foot organ pipe
Rhythm is inherent in life’s music too
Ecclesiastes speaks to it
“A time to be born…”
“A time to plant…”
My early life had a rhythm
Get up
Get dressed
Work
Rural Kansas Mennonites had a rhythm
Everyone does, I suppose,
For us
Plant Turkey red wheat seeds in the fall
With faith they were planted
Surrendering them to snuggle into the black, cold soil
We would wait
Waiting for their time to be born
To sprout in the weak sunshine of early spring
Break out of the blackness
And grow into golden stalks
With wispy white beards
Plump little kernels
Bowing in the Kansas sun and wind
And then- -the triumphal season
Harvest
“A time to reap…”
Certainly a flow
Hopefully a gush
A gush of wheat
Into the combine, the truck, the elevator
Into our daily bread
Harvest rhythm disrupted the regular beat
The regular, measured beat of our lives
A kind of Syncopation certainly
The predictable, routine beat was bent
The sounds different
The bass of men’s voices
Carried across the fields
The combine snarl
The trucks’ pipes rumble and vibration
Powerful
Housework became less important
Food quicker, cooler,
Transportable to the field
Eaten in the shade of wheat trucks
A dance between harvest need and hunger,
A courtship between expediency and weather
Moms drive wheat trucks
Kids play in the wheat
Get by snacking on potato chips and candy bars
For 30 plus years it was my rhythm too
I loved the Kansas jungle sounds
The “exotic” food
The gush of adrenaline
The syncopation of routine life
The rhythm of harvest
For me…
That rhythm is gone now
And many songs silent as well
The elephants are gone
Courtships over
Dirigible broken
Organ pipes silent
I’m old
No longer a part of the jungle
I grieve its loss
I miss the verdant life
Crave the syncopation
I need a map
The directions to a new jungle
The reawakening of a rhythm
A new flow,
A gush of a new, green, growing life
Jun 13, 2025 | Donor Stories
When Dustin received a letter in the mail about his father’s cornea donation, he paused. The logo at the top was instantly familiar: Saving Sight. For years, Dustin has worked with the organization as its financial advisor—helping manage retirement plans and guiding staff through long-term planning. But this was different.
Mark Johnson
“I’ve helped Saving Sight for nearly a decade,” Dustin said. “But to see my dad’s name on a letter from you all—to know he became a donor—it just blew me away. It came full circle.”
Dustin’s father, Mark, passed away in December at the age of 72. In life, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, celebrating 50 years of marriage to Dustin’s mother just a few months before his passing. Raised in southeast Kansas, Mark lived a life of creativity, generosity and resilience.
After losing his own father as a young boy, Mark was raised by his mother alongside three older siblings. He met his high school sweetheart—Dustin’s mom—in Independence, Kansas. Together they attended Pittsburg State University, where Mark studied marketing and design. That passion translated into a lifelong career as an artist and business owner. Mark specialized in wildlife oil paintings, lettering, sign work and eventually glass installation.
“Later in life, he bought a glass business,” Dustin said. “He did residential and commercial installs, framing, custom pieces—you name it. Glass kind of became his thing.”
Outside of work, Mark was an avid outdoorsman, antique car collector, and golfer. In his later years, he could often be found on the golf course or visiting his grandkids in Kansas City. Even after surviving a quadruple bypass and a battle with colon cancer, Mark continued to put others first, always finding time for family and friends.
“He would do anything for someone else before doing it for himself,” Dustin said. “That’s just who he was.”
After Mark’s passing, Dustin’s mother received a letter explaining that both of his corneas had been successfully donated and transplanted, restoring sight to two individuals in Pakistan.
“It just stopped me in my tracks,” Dustin said. “To know someone can see the world through his gift—it’s humbling. And knowing that it happened through Saving Sight made it even more meaningful.”
For Dustin and his family, the news was both healing and affirming.
“We’re all givers at heart,” Dustin said. “And if you can help someone—especially when you no longer need what’s being given—why wouldn’t you?”
Today, Mark’s legacy lives on through the lives he’s touched—both near and far. A large mural featuring one of his paintings now graces the side of his hometown’s high school stadium, thanks to donations made in his memory. Dustin is keeping a few of his dad’s classic cars, hoping someday his own son will carry on that tradition.
This Father’s Day, Dustin is reminded of the man who helped shape him.
“I think my dad would be proud,” he said. “Proud to know his final gift gave someone their sight—and proud to know his story might inspire someone else to say yes to donation.”
May 9, 2025 | Donor Stories
Rebecca and Aleigha
Aleigha was the kind of person who always put others first. Sensitive and kind-hearted, she never hesitated to help someone. From a young age, Aleigha was outgoing, funny, and full of life. She loved watching her younger brother’s football games with her mom, laughing and cheering from the sidelines. She grew into a compassionate young woman, and though she once dreamed of becoming an EMT, her path shifted with love and motherhood.
She found joy in the simple things—quiet rides on dirt roads, music playing through the speakers, her daughters giggling in the back seat. Aleigha adored her two young girls, Jazzlyn and Jayde. They were her pride and joy. Moments like those were full of connection, love, and happiness.
When her family learned that Aleigha could become a cornea donor through Saving Sight, they felt both the shock of loss and the comfort of purpose. “Deciding to donate was an honor,” her mom, Rebecca, says. “Knowing that Aleigha selflessly shared a part of herself to brighten a stranger’s life has been a true blessing.” Aleigha’s family found comfort in knowing her legacy would live on as a donor hero. Her mom, Rebecca, shares, “Being a donor family is an honor. Knowing that a loved one can give all they have for strangers and that those strangers are flourishing is a blessing.”
Aleigha and family
Her mother now honors her by sharing her story whenever she can and attending events celebrating the gift of eye, organ, and tissue donation. “It brings us joy to be in contact with her recipients,” she says. “Knowing she’s still here in a way you can cling to mentally and emotionally.” It’s through those connections that Aleigha’s family has found an unexpected comfort. Each thank-you note is a reminder that Aleigha’s light endures, sparking new beginnings in eyes and hearts she’ll never meet.
In the months following Aleigha’s donation, Rebecca found solace and solidarity within the tight-knit donation community. Rebecca enjoys going to donor remembrance events, where she meets fellow donor families who understand grief’s quiet ache and the profound pride that comes with giving life to strangers. “We can be there for each other. Even though we are all strangers in this walk of life, we all have a commonality,” her mom, Rebecca, shares. Thanks to their warmth, she discovered that although every loss is intensely personal, the shared compassion of fellow donor families can turn grief into a celebration of hope and healing.”
“To fellow donor families, she offers this comfort: ‘When uncertainty feels overwhelming, hold on to hope. I envision my daughter’s spark living on in others—illuminating their lives just as it did ours.”
This Mother’s Day, we honor Aleigha, her giving spirit, and the strength of her mother, Rebecca, who continues to share her daughter’s light with the world.
