HEAR FROM DONOR FAMILIES
At age twenty-five, she was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer, but she was fearless! She would inspire others with the way she faced the news and all that it meant.
In the end she made the decision to donate her body to science and her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, are helping someone else see the beauty in life as she did.
To quote someone she’ll have an eternal crush on, James Dean, “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”
A loving husband, father and grandfather who took joy in the simple things in life; like a day out in the boat fishing when he didn’t catch a single fish; enjoying a family gathering with good food or a good single malt scotch! He was a simple man who enjoyed family and the beauty of a colorful sunrise rather than the lights of a big city. Traveling with him meant driving around and looking at the amazing scenery in the places we traveled.
He was a truly wonderful person and I hope recipients of his gift will enjoy seeing the world as much as he did. He left a hole that can never be filled.
For “Jack” (as he was affectionately called), his family along with his church family and friends were his greatest joy! We all felt his love and compassion. He shared that love with a smile that would light up a room.
Now, his smile lives on in the individual he gave the gift of sight through eye donation. We all feel that we are better people for having known this wonderful man of God. He left a profound impact on his family-and on every life he touched.
Even in death, he changed lives-for the better. Jack was able to enhance countless lives through invaluable research.
The memories of her big blue eyes, sweet and spitfire spirit continue to impact us today. Dru was a beautiful blonde with a very caring personality. She was also a fighter who defended and spoke for her brothers… all the time. She was the life of a party with her family and friends, on the soccer field, and softball field.
Most important – Dru loved fiercely! Now that personality impacts her cornea recipients. What a GIFT to be loved by Dru Elizabeth.
He loved traveling abroad, astronomy, physics, debating politics and the meaning of life.
He was a comedian, a prankster, a shoulder to cry on and an inspiration.
Through the act of cornea donation, I hope someone was, also, able to see the beauty of this world through my son’s eyes.
He loved God, his family, his friends and the ministry of music. He had many visions for himself, his church and his gospel groups and worked to bring them to reality.
Even in death, he allowed his work to speak for itself when he left his vision behind through the gift of giving one of his most precious gifts from God to change the ending to someone‘s story. We are proud of this Loving son, brother, uncle and friend to all who met him for the Legacy and Gift he has left behind.
She was loved by everyone that knew her. She had an infectious smile that would light up anyone’s day. Her passion for dance was beyond measure. She loved chasing sunsets to get the perfect pictures. She had a large circle of friends that will never forget her and the impact she made on their lives. She was always on the go and now I know why, she had lots to do and plenty lives to touch in her short 14 years of life on earth.
We miss her every day but have some comfort in knowing that someone is seeing the world and sunsets through her eyes.
Also through organ donation, she saved 3 lives. She is my HERO!!!!
Donor Christopher Goudeau 23
Gonzales, LA
Donation 06/2018
Danielle Babin (mother)
HEAR FROM RECIPIENTS
My first was in 1985, then a second in 2000, and replacements in 2014 and 2016.
I am ever reminded of all that I would have missed over the years without these gifts of sight, including enjoying my independence, continuing my nursing career, and seeing my grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.
These are just a few of the reasons I am so grateful to donors/families, skilled surgeons, and all who had apart in giving me the gift of sight. I do humbly say, Thank you!
My life is enriched daily in so many ways by improved vision. I treasure big & small wonders such as seeing the faces of friends & family, reading menus & signs, threading a needle and seeing when my cooked food is browned. Sadly, I lived many years with cloudy corneas due to Fuch’s Dystrophy.
But now, my song is:
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright, bright Sun-Shiny day.
The gift of my cornea changed my life. While the journey has not been easy since my surgery on November 11, 2020, the cornea has remained healthy and intact.
Even better, my art has taken a step upward too. I have had works accepted into two major shows in this area!
I am forever grateful for the donor and family who gave this gift of sight to me. I cannot imagine their loss but I know the joy this gift has brought to me.
I have spent all my life with impaired vision. I have worn glasses all of my life. As an adult, my vision worsened. Inevitably, I had to have cataract surgery on both eyes. One eye improved tremendously. But, my left eye was too damaged to be repaired. It was so bad that my doctor told me that I needed a corneal transplant, if I wanted to continue seeing “out of both eyes”. At first, I was very nervous. But, I had the surgery and I faithfully went to all of the follow up visits. For the first time in my life, vision in my left eye was not blurry. I could see things and people in focus and without straining. The transplant was a SUCCESS!
When my eye problems first began I use to see ghostly figures and halos reflected off lights. I couldn’t see what was actually in front of me neither far away. I was diagnosed with keratoconus in 2012. Sense that time I’ve tried eye glasses and hard contact lenses but my eyes are very sensitive and I had problems with getting the contacts into my eyes. After wearing glasses for awhile and my condition steady getting worse my doctor told me I will need a cornea transplant, I was very terrified but my doctor was very informative on the procedure.
I’m very happy that I went through with the cornea transplant, the wait time for a donor was about two months. After surgery my sight was a little blurry for the first week but after my eye sight came back clear I can see better than I have in years. Before the cornea transplant I didn’t realize I was not seeing things clear like trees, grass etc things were very dull. After my cornea transplant it was as I was seeing for the first time.