A Photographer’s Vision Cynthia’s Story The vibrant colors of a flower in spring. Seeing a bumblebee buzz and dart through the garden. 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. “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 physicians.” As is sometimes the case with Keratonconus, Cynthia’s condition returned and she underwent another 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! 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.”
With her vision restored, Cynthia began playing with photography to show others a glimpse of how she saw the world with Keratoconus and to highlight the impact cornea donation and transplantation had on her life. This photo showcases how she saw the world before and after her corneal transplants.
Recipients of the Gift | Page 14
