Did you know?
As an organ, tissue, and cornea donor, you could save or improve the quality of life for more than 50 others who suffer from organ failure, bone defects, heart defects, burns, or blindness.
Katelyn Shove
SightLife Cornea Recipient
Katelyn's family wasn't aware that she had noticed. Nobody knows how it got there, but, besides robbing Katelyn's vision, the scar on her left eye had opaqued over much of the brown center with a milky white film. But Katelyn HAD noticed. And when a post-surgery look in the mirror told her that both eyes are now that same, the three-year-old from Idaho was one elated little girl.
Katelyn's family is more than a little pleased, too. "Thanks to you guys, we have a beautiful, happy little girl," says Katelyn's grandmother, Arliss Shove. The Northwest Lions Foundation for Sight & Hearing and the Lions Club from Kateyln's community split the cost of the $8,500 Lions Patient Care Grant that paid hospital and operating room costs associated with the transplant. SightLife Associate Medical Director Dr. Tueng Shen donated her time and skill to do the surgery.
As you might guess, cornea transplant surgery for someone so young as Katelyn is unusual. Of the 2,495 corneas that our eye bank provided for sight-restoring transplants last year, only one or two were for very young children.
Cornea transplants for young children don't come with the same 90-percent-plus guarantee of restored sight as for adults, but early indications for Katelyn are promising. She has already experienced some restored vision in the eye and enjoys the support of a close-knit family.
"Katelyn and her family deserve our very best, and we'll be following her progress closely," said SightLife Vice President Bernie Iliakis. "It is a privilege to be in a position to help a special girl like this."
Editor's note: Money raised during White Cane Days makes it possible for many deserving families like the Shoves to receive help from the Lions Patient Care Program. Thank you to all White Cane Days volunteers, past and future.
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You can also read the stories of other cornea recipients and donors.