Cornea Recipients
SightLife cornea recipients range in age from 2 weeks to 98 years. They are just as diverse in skin color, interests, and income, but each has a strong bond in common - deep appreciation for the kindness of the donor who gave them the gift of sight. See the links below to read some of their stories.
Judy Jones
Cornea recipient
Judy Jones might never have seen her own son Legrand's face if not for two cornea transplants.
Judy was 4½ months pregnant and losing the race against a particularly rapid-spreading form of Keratoconus when she received her second transplant. "For me, Legrand's birth was a double miracle," says Judy. "Holding him would have been enough, but I am more grateful than I will ever be able to express to the donors who made it possible for me to see every perfect, tiny little feature."
Legrand is not the only child whom Judy appreciates watching grow and change. There are literally hundreds of faces to be thankful for at the south branch of the Puget Sound Boys and Girls Club that she directs. "I would still be able to do this job blind," she says, "but oh, those smiles! I owe the privilege of seeing them to two people I'll never meet but whose kindness I will never forget."
Mario Torres
Cornea recipient
Mario is a rambunctious 6-year-old boy, always on the go. During one of his adventures, a mishap resulted in a severe eye injury. A cornea transplant was the final option for improving his condition. Mario is the youngest of four children - two brothers and a sister - all of whom make him the center of attention. Despite all the surgeries and discomfort he’s endured, he remains the same energetic and lovable child he’s always been. As a matter of fact, Mario’s mother, Christine, says there’s not a person he’s met that he hasn’t made friends with instantly. He enjoys the holidays, especially Halloween when he gets to dress up. One of his many activities is playing on the soccer team. “I can run like a speeding bullet!” he says.
Stephanie Stahowiac
Cornea recipient
Dear Donor Family,
It meant a lot to me to learn a little bit about your precious son. I want to thank you so much for the selfless gift of donating his cornea to me. You were thinking of helping someone else in the midst of your tragedy, and that is such an incredibly giving act.
I am a stay-at-home wife and mother, and I homeschool my four young children. I have had Keratoconus for the past 15 years and have been going progressively blind during that time. My vision had deteriorated to the point where all I could see in that eye before the transplant was colors and blur. I have the disease in the other eye also, and it has been so very difficult to care for my family these past couple years with my very poor vision.
I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be able to see again out of this eye. When I got home and looked across the room and could SEE my children’s faces, I just sat there and cried for joy. In many ways, this cornea transplant has changed my life so very much for the better.
I never could really thank you enough for what you have done for me, but I want to let you know what an incredible difference this has made in my life, and how thankful I am to you. May God bless you and your family.
Cassidy Myers
Cornea recipient
Cassidy was barely five when she received her cornea, but it had already been more than a year since she began to complain that everything looked “scribbly.” With the scribbly vision came problems with depth perception and maintaining balance.
An ulcer was boring a hole into Cassidy’s eye and taking her sight. As the ulcer festered, the hole grew and scarred over. Without intervention, Cassidy’s eye would go completely blind.
On a February morning in Spokane, Cassidy received the gift that put her young life back on keel. Immediately upon waking up from cornea transplant surgery, she told her parents that everything wasn’t scribbly any more. In the months that followed, her vision continued to improve. “I can see so much better!” she told her parents over and over, but they never failed to be thrilled at the words.
“We will never know the donor or the donor family, but they have given us the most beautiful gift,” says Cassidy’s mother, Dawn. “They have given us the ability to look forward to the future.”