IMPACT REPORT 2018
Saving Sight is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to change lives by saving sight. Founded in 1960, Saving Sight has grown to become one of the nation’s leading eye banks and is focused on providing innovative solutions to its clinical and research partners. Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Saving Sight facilitates eye donation to Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois, serving transplantation and research specialists locally and around the world. This report details our work, and the work of our partners to help 2,559 generous eye donors give the gift of sight in 2018 through research and transplantation. The journey begins when a donor or donor family says yes to eye donation. Hospital staff and community partners make referrals and assist Saving Sight in the recovery of tissue. Saving Sight processes recovered tissue and distributes it to surgeons and researchers who restore sight through transplant surgeries or the advancement of medical practice. Recipients of corneal transplantation are given the selfless gift of sight to help restore their vision. No matter where you are in the journey, we thank you for your partnership. Together, we change lives by saving sight.
Donor Day at the Missouri Capitol In April 2018, Saving Sight participated in Donor Family Recognition Day at the Missouri State Capitol. This event is organized by the Governor’s Organ Donor Advisory Committee and organ and tissue procurement organizations to honor the legacy of those who gave the gift of life and sight. Donor families were recognized on the floor of the Senate and they were able to pay tribute to their loved ones. Saving Sight was honored to attend to thank eye donors for giving the selfless gift of sight.
Eye Donation | Page 2
2,559 Heroes Like Maddie Gave the Gift of Sight State Donor Designation Share
59% 73%
72%
A Legacy Lives On Maddie had a giving spirit and her smile would light up the stands as a cheerleader. On the way home from an after-prom event, Maddie fell asleep at the wheel and hit a semi-tractor head on. In their time of tragedy, her family chose to donate so her legacy could live on. “Maddie’s gift will touch approximately 67 lives,” Jim Allmon shared of how his stepdaughter’s legacy lives on through eye and tissue donation. “Not long ago, we received a letter from Saving Sight that stated Maddie’s corneas were placed with a 5-year-old girl. Knowing Maddie’s giving spirit, I am sure she is smiling down on us every day because we allowed her to help that little girl.”
The total number of designated donors as a percentage of all state registrants age 18 and older. Join the national donor registry online at registerme.org. *DDS from Donate Life America registry overview report Q2 2018
Source of Consent for Saving Sight Eye Donation Cases 60% Next of Kin Consent 40% First-Person Authorization
Next of Kin Consent Rate
42.7%
First-Person Authorization Consent Rate
81.6%
Click here to read Maddie’s full story. Next of kin consent rate as a percentage of all approaches made by Saving Sight.
Eye Donation | Page 3
Champion of Donation Jim Allmon As a Chief Deputy Coroner in Sangamon County, Jim Allmon knows the importance of eye, organ and tissue donation. Jim also serves on the Lifesaving Leaders Collective, a group of community leaders from the Springfield, IL area who are committed to serving the residents of Springfield and advocating to make organ and tissue donation the social norm. “On May 7, 2017, we lost one of our five beautiful daughters,” shared Jim. “Losing Maddie altered our lives. As a Chief Deputy Coroner in Sangamon County, I investigate death and talk to families who have experienced loss every day. But nothing in my 16 years on the job could even have prepared me or my family for this devastating loss.” “I got the call from the police dispatcher about the incident, and then I received another call saying it was Maddie. I remember not knowing how I was going to tell Maddie’s sisters, and thinking there must have been a mistake. The hardest conversation was with my wife, Courtney, as I explained that there still was time to allow Maddie to donate.”
Jim Allmon receiving a memorial blanket at the Lifesaving Leaders Collective.
Maddie’s gift has touched approximately 67 lives, including the life of a 5-year-old girl who received a cornea transplant. This year, their family decided to give back to their community after all the kindness they were shown during their time of tragedy. They held a Golfing Outing with the goal of raising money for a scholarship to be given to a New Berlin High School senior. Due to the generosity of the community, they exceeded their goal of a onetime scholarship by raising enough to give five scholarships this year, and one every year until Maddie’s youngest sister graduates from high school.
Donation Referral | Page 4
(L-R) Courtney Allmon, Erica Roberts, Donation Liaison at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network and Deputy Coroner at Sangamon County Coroner’s Office, and Jim Allmon at the Golf Outing held in Maddie’s memory.
Eleven Days | Rick’s Donation Legacy When Theresa McClellan suddenly lost her husband Rick during a volleyball game, her whole world changed. “He’s just a great guy gone way too soon,” said Theresa. Because living an active lifestyle was so important to Rick, he and his wife had talked about organ donation and end-of-life care. “While in shock and coming to grips that terrible night, there wasn’t a doubt that we were going to do the organ donation,” said Theresa. It was impactful for her that Rick was able to help people until the very end with his gift of life. Hospital staff, the funeral home director and Saving Sight all explained the process and made the difficult situation as positive as it could be. Since Rick’s passing, Theresa has become an avid supporter of the healing power of donation as a volunteer and ambassador for Saving Sight. “It just helps me as I transition to life without him – it helps me know that I honored a wish of his,” said Theresa. Click the image above to watch a video of Theresa explaining how Rick’s legacy lives on through donation.
Donation Referral | Page 5
Contact Our Hospital Development Team
Territory 1 Kansas Eye Bank 316-260-8220 Wichita, KS
Territory 2 Darcey Ross 816-255-1373 Kansas City, MO
Territory 3 Haley Lyne 417-569-1270 Springfield, MO
Hospital Referral Partners Hospital Name Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
10
6
6
82%
60%
4
Adair Acute Care at Osawatomie State Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
Allen County Regional Hospital
9
1
1
25%
11%
3
Atchison Hospital
11
4
10
50%
36%
2 2
Bates County Memorial Hospital
7
1
2
17%
14%
Boone Hospital Center
79
24
30
42%
30%
3
Bothwell Regional Health Center
30
10
12
46%
33%
2 2
Cameron Regional Medical Center
15
6
8
47%
40%
Capital Regional Medical Center
44
21
29
58%
48%
3
Carle Richland Memorial Hospital
24
13
21
60%
54%
4
Carlinville Area Hospital
7
4
4
83%
57%
4
Carroll County Memorial Hospital
5
1
2
20%
20%
2
Cass Regional Medical Center
11
8
13
75%
73%
2
Cedar County Memorial Hospital
3
2
4
67%
67%
3
Center for Behavioral Medicine
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
CenterPointe Hospital of Columbia
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Citizens Memorial Healthcare
22
9
10
59%
41%
3
Clay County Hospital
6
0
0
0%
0%
4
Clay County Medical Center
5
3
5
67%
60%
2
Coffey County Hospital
6
4
9
86%
67%
3
Coffeyville Regional Medical Center
15
8
11
63%
53%
3
Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center
9
4
2
44%
44%
2
Community Hospital Fairfax
3
1
2
33%
33%
2
Community Hospital of Staunton
13
1
1
11%
8%
4
Community Hospital Onaga
1
0
0
0%
0%
2
Community Hospital St. Mary's
1
0
0
0%
0%
2
Community Memorial Healthcare
3
2
4
75%
67%
2
Cooper County Memorial Hospital
8
3
3
50%
38%
2
Cox Barton County Hospital
4
1
2
50%
25%
3
Cox Medical Center Branson
35
18
24
62%
51%
3
Cox Medical Center South
424
214
177
57%
50%
3
Cox Monett Hospital
5
1
2
25%
20%
3
Crawford Memorial Hospital
13
4
4
50%
31%
4
Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center
5
1
0
20%
20%
2
Ellett Memorial Hospital
1
0
0
0%
0%
2
Excelsior Springs Hospital
8
6
8
75%
75%
2
F.W. Huston Medical Center
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
Fayette County Hospital and Long Term Care
18
2
2
21%
11%
4
Fitzgibbon Hospital
9
2
2
38%
22%
2
Fredonia Regional Hospital
6
2
2
33%
33%
3
Freeman Hospital East
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Freeman Hospital Neosho
20
9
15
47%
45%
3
Freeman Hospital West
146
71
110
59%
49%
3
Fulton Medical Center
1
1
2
100%
100%
3
Fulton State Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
0%
3
Geary Community Hospital
10
3
6
38%
30%
2
General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital
7
2
2
50%
29%
3
Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare
11
4
6
55%
36%
2
Hannibal Regional Hospital
33
11
16
45%
33%
4
Hanover Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2 2
Harrison County Community Hospital Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital Hedrick Medical Center
Territory 4 Jaclyn Butchek 217-303-5048 Springfield, IL Donation Referral | Page 6
Total Suitable Tissues Consent Conversion HD Donors Eye Donors Transplanted Rate Rate Territory
7
3
2
50%
43%
28
8
11
37%
29%
3
7
0
0
0%
0%
2
Hermann Area District Hospital
1
1
2
100%
100%
4
Hiawatha Community Hospital
4
2
4
50%
50%
2
Hillsboro Area Hospital
5
0
0
25%
0%
4
Holton Community Hospital
6
1
2
17%
17%
2
Horton Community Hospital
1
1
1
100%
100%
2
HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital
7
0
0
33%
0%
4
HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital Effingham
27
7
14
33%
26%
4
HSHS St. Francis Hospital Litchfield
8
4
4
50%
50%
4
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Hospital Name HSHS St. John's Hospital
Total Suitable Tissues Consent Conversion HD Donors Eye Donors Transplanted Rate Rate Territory 263 107 114 50% 41% 4
I-70 Community Hospital
4
2
4
67%
50%
2
Irwin Army Community Hospital
3
1
1
100%
33%
2
Kansas City VA Medical Center
19
9
11
63%
47%
2
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
Labette Health
20
8
8
47%
40%
3
Labette Health Independence Healthcare Center
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Lafayette Regional Health Center
12
2
3
50%
17%
2
Lake Regional Hospital
67
35
49
60%
52%
3
Landmark Hospital of Columbia
3
0
0
33%
0%
3
Landmark Hospital of Joplin
4
2
0
60%
50%
3
Landmark Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Lawrence County Memorial Hospital
7
3
5
43%
43%
4
LMH Health
51
25
43
63%
49%
2
Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
Memorial Hospital Abilene
12
3
6
40%
25%
2
Memorial Medical Center
323
148
149
59%
46%
4
Mercy Hospital Aurora
5
3
1
60%
60%
3
Mercy Hospital Carthage
2
0
0
50%
0%
3
Mercy Hospital Cassville
2
0
0
0%
0%
3
Mercy Hospital Columbus
3
1
0
50%
33%
3
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott
13
7
9
64%
54%
3
Mercy Hospital Jefferson
63
32
49
62%
51%
4
Mercy Hospital Joplin
87
32
35
45%
37%
3
Mercy Hospital Lebanon
10
5
11
50%
50%
3
Mercy Hospital Springfield
455
235
212
59%
52%
3
Mercy Hospital Washington
57
32
45
61%
56%
4
Mercy St. Francis Hospital
2
0
0
N/A
0%
3
Miami County Medical Center
7
3
2
60%
43%
2
MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2
Moberly Regional Medical Center
11
5
8
50%
45%
2
Mosaic Life Care
116
53
70
51%
46%
2
Mosaic Life Care LTAC
8
1
0
25%
13%
2
Nemaha Valley Community Hospital
9
5
4
78%
56%
2
Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center
13
3
5
46%
23%
3
Nevada Regional Medical Center
11
8
9
73%
73%
3
Northeast Regional Medical Center
11
6
4
55%
55%
2
Northwest Medical Center
1
1
1
100%
100%
2
Olathe Hospice House
7
7
9
100%
100%
2
Olathe Medical Center
40
20
32
60%
50%
2
Osage Beach Center for Cognitive Disorders
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Ozarks Medical Center
29
10
13
50%
34%
3
3
0
0
0%
0%
4
Paris Community Hospital
9
2
3
38%
22%
4
Passavant Area Hospital
24
8
11
59%
33%
4
Pershing Memorial Hospital
9
3
6
38%
33%
2
Phelps Health
Pana Community Hospital
42
18
18
51%
43%
3
Pike County Memorial Hospital
7
2
2
33%
29%
4
Prairie View, Inc.
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Promise Hospital of Overland Park
5
1
0
33%
20%
2
Providence Medical Center
56
24
31
54%
43%
2
Putnam County Memorial Hospital
5
0
0
0%
0%
2
Ransom Memorial Health
8
4
6
50%
50%
2
Ray County Memorial Hospital
11
6
8
67%
55%
2
Rusk Rehabiliation Cener
2
0
0
50%
0%
3
Sabetha Community Hospital
2
1
0
100%
50%
2
Saint John Hospital
10
4
8
40%
40%
2
Saint Luke's Cushing Hospital
1
0
0
0%
0%
2
Salem Memorial District Hospital
4
1
2
50%
25%
3
Salina Surgical Hospital
1
1
2
100%
100%
2
Samaritan Hospital
8
5
5
75%
63%
2
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Ways Hospital Staff Can Support Eye Donation
Make the initial referral call to the organ procurement organization within 60 minutes of cardiac death.
Get more than one contact number for the patient’s next of kin.
Donation Referral | Page 7
Hospital Referral Partners Hospital Name Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
Don’t release the deceased to a funeral home until you’ve heard from Saving Sight.
Scotland County Hospital
2
1
2
50%
50%
4
Select Specialty Hospital Kansas City, KS
10
5
4
50%
50%
2
Select Specialty Hospital Springfield
15
6
7
50%
40%
3
Signature Psychiatric Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
2 2
SSM Health St. Francis Hospital - Maryville
13
4
8
46%
31%
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Audrain
22
6
5
40%
27%
3
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Centralia
41
16
22
47%
39%
4
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City
33
16
17
54%
48%
3
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital
6
4
6
67%
67%
4 2
Sullivan County Memorial Hospital
1
1
2
100%
100%
Summit Surgical
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
3
Taylorville Memorial Hospital
7
3
6
67%
43%
4
Texas County Memorial Hospital
15
5
8
46%
33%
3
202
103
122
61%
51%
2
The University of Kansas Health System - St. Francis
45
22
28
56%
49%
2
Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital
5
0
0
25%
0%
4
189
89
110
57%
47%
3
Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan
4
2
1
75%
50%
2
Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg
14
7
5
63%
50%
3
Vibra Hospital of Springfield
2
1
1
50%
50%
4
The University of Kansas Health System - Main
University Hospital
Once a patient has passed away and their family is no longer at the bedside, perform
Total Suitable Tissues Consent Conversion HD Donors Eye Donors Transplanted Rate Rate Territory 53 21 23 46% 40% 4
Wamego Health Center
5
4
4
80%
80%
2
Washington County Hospital
6
2
4
43%
33%
2
Washington County Memorial Hospital
0
0
0
N/A
N/A
4
Western Missouri Medical Center
5
1
2
40%
20%
2
Wilson Medical Center
3
1
2
33%
33%
3
Women's and Children's Hospital
5
1
1
67%
20%
3
Wright Memorial Hospital
5
1
2
25%
20%
2
SEE:
Saline eye drops in each eye,
Hospital Development Territory Map
Elevate the head to 30 degrees,
Eyelids closed and apply lightweight ice packs over closed eyelids (don’t tape eyelids closed).
Donation Referral | Page 8
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Territory 1 Hospital - Kansas Eye Bank HD 1 - Hospital Name*
HD 1 - Hospital Name*
Anderson County Hospital
Mercy Hospital, Inc.
Ashland Health Center
Minneola District Hospital
Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital
Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems
Cheyenne County Hospital
Morris County Hospital
Citizens Medical Center, Inc.
Morton County Hospital
Clara Barton Hospital
Ness County Hospital
Cloud County Health Center
Newman Regional Health
Comanche County Hospital
Newton Medical Center
Decatur County Hospital
Norton County Hospital
Edwards County Medical Center
Osborne County Memorial Hospital
Ellinwood District Hospital
Oswego Community Hospital
Ellsworth County Medical Center
Ottawa County Health Center
Girard Medical Center
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital
Goodland Regional Medical Center
Phillips County Hospital
Gove County Medical Center
Rawlins County Health Center
Graham County Hospital
Republic County Hospital
Greeley County Health Services
Rice County District Hospital
Greenwood County Hospital
Rooks County Health Center
Grisell Memorial Hospital
Rush County Memorial Hospital
Hamilton County Hospital
Russell Regional Hospital
HaysMed The University of Kansas Health System
Satanta District Hospital & Long Term Acute Care
Herington Municipal Hospital
Scott County Hospital
Hillsboro Community Hospital
Sedan City Hospital
Hodgeman County Health Center
Sheridan County Health Complex
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
Smith County Memorial Hospital
Jewell County Hospital
Southwest Medical Center
Kearny County Hospital
St. Catherine Hospital
Kiowa District Hospital
St. Luke Hospital and Living Center
Lane County Hospital
Stafford County Hospital
Larned State Hospital
Stanton County Hospital
Lincoln County Hospital
Stevens County Hospital
Lindsborg Community Hospital
Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital
Logan County Hospital
The University of Kansas Health System - Great Bend Campus
McPherson Hospital
Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital
Meade District Hospital
Western Plains Medical Complex
Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital
Wichita County Health Center
*The Kansas Eye Bank partners with Saving Sight for tissue recovery in Hospital Development Territory 1. Please reach out to the Kansas Eye Bank at 316-260-8220 if you are interested in data for Hospital Development Territory 1.
Timing is critical, but Saving Sight recognizes the need for time and space. Communicate with us about how the family is currently coping. Call Saving Sight staff at 800-7532265 if you have questions at any time about where a case is in the donation process.
Set up a professional development session or request badge cards to help your staff facilitate donation by contacting the Saving Sight Hospital Development team.
Donation Referral | Page 9
Hospital Development Educational Opportunity During Eye Donation Month in November, Saving Sight collaborated with Mid-America Transplant and Cox Medical Center Branson to provide a lunch and learn education to raise awareness about eye donation. We hosted three, 30-minute education sessions for approximately 35 hospital staff members. Saving Sight provided background information on eye donation and hospital policy, but emphasized education on registering to be a donor, the donor registry, and highlighting the impact donation has on both donor families and recipients. Hospital staff were very engaged in the presentation and there were a significant amount of questions and answers and open dialogue during each session. Many hospital staff members registered to be organ, eye, and tissue donors using their iOS Health app on their iPhones. Attendees were grateful and touched to hear the letters read and videos played from cornea recipient and donor family stories. Overall, this event was a successful collaboration and the knowledge and impact it left on the staff will lead us to continue doing these types of events each fall.
Space for Innovation: Saving Sight’s New Kansas City Office and Laboratory
Click to take a video tour of Saving Sight’s new Kansas City headquarters and learn what makes it a great place for innovative ideas to thrive! Education & Innovation | Page 10
Saving Sight Now Offers Preloaded DSAEK Tissue to Meet Surgeon Need
Saving Sight is now offering preloaded DSAEK tissue as another simple and convenient solution for our physician partners. Our tissue comes prepared, preloaded and shipped in an EndoGlide™ Ultrathin inserter. Click to watch Saving Sight Laboratory Manager Jenni Thomas and Saving Sight Medical Director Dr. Joseph Tauber discuss the benefits of offering this service to our surgeons.
2018 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Saving Sight was a co-author on two research posters with Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine at ARVO this May. The research titles were “Diabetes mellitus in eye bank donors does not impact corneal transplant suitability” and “Mechanical ventilation in eye bank donors is associated with poorer corneal transplant suitability.” These studies continue to advance innovation and research in corneal transplantation through collaboration between eye banks, medical centers, and researchers. “Eye banks have traditionally had the essential role of supplying donor tissues that enable people to see,” said Dr. Gabriel Rand, lead author. “Working with Dr. Chuck and Saving Sight has been an incredible opportunity for me to understand how in addition to this role, eye banks can also advance academic research in the field of ophthalmology.”
Dr. Gabriel Rand (left) Patrick Gore, Lynn Forest-Smith, and Dr. Roy Chuck at ARVO 2018 Click here to learn more about the research findings.
Education & Innovation | Page 11
Changing Lives through Hands-on Training In June, Saving Sight hosted a DMEK Wet Lab at Bausch & Lomb in St. Louis. Partner physicians who attended the wet lab received comprehensive lectures, instruction and training from industry leaders and Saving Sight clinical staff on new and innovative services and procedures. Dr. Mark Greiner with University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine demonstrated a DMEK procedure in the teaching OR. After the demonstration, participants were able to practice the new techniques that were presented with one-on-one guidance. Saving Sight places high value in hosting Wet Labs as a resource for our surgeon partners as it provides them with information and practical experience with new techniques in corneal transplantation and eye banking.
Tissue Utilization
Transplant Tissue Distribution by Surgery Type 1,641 PK 781 DSAEK
71% Surgical Use 29% Non-Surgical Use
498 DMEK 14 Glaucoma Shunt 162 Other (DALK, ALK, K-Pro)
Vital Tears Autologous Serum Eye Drops Saving Sight is a partner, co-founder, and processor of Vital Tears custom autologous serum eye drops. Vital Tears are eye drops made from the patient’s blood serum. Their blood is diluted with a sterile, preservativefree solution to produce eye drops that are unique to the patient. In 2018, Saving Sight processed 1,581 Vital Tears orders in our lab for patients in 35 states across the country. Offering Vital Tears is another way Saving Sight provides simple and convenient solutions to our partners. Tissue Utilization | Page 12
Watch Dr. Shachar Tauber of Mercy Clinic Eye Specialists talk about his simple and convenient experience with Vital Tears.
Summer Research Fellowship Funded by Saving Sight At the beginning of July, Saving Sight and New York-based nonprofit Fight for Sight announced the award of a $2,500 research fellowship to Boston University School of Medicine student, Min Tae Kim. In his research, Kim will study type 2 diabetes and the role of a channel protein, Pannexin-1, in both normal wound repair and that of diabetic tissue. “Receiving this grant from Saving Sight eye bank and Fight for Sight is very significant for me, in part because of the award, but mainly because it feels like I have been accepted into this community of people committed to bettering the world by helping those who aren’t able to perceive their external environment like we can. I have been very interested in vision research since my undergraduate years, and it really feels like I’ve come a long way since then,” said Kim about the award. “Saving Sight is proud to provide ongoing support to the ocular research community,” said Tony Bavuso, CEO at Saving Sight. “It’s exciting to contribute to the success of the next generation of ocular researchers in hopes of finding new treatments.”
Transplant Tissue Distribution by Geographic Area
Non-Surgical Tissue Utilization
49% International 25.8% Missouri 60% Research 11.3% Other U.S.
40% Education & Training
12.1% Kansas 1.8% Illinois
Request Tissue by Calling Client Services at 816-255-1307
Contact Our Business Development Team for More Information
Get 24/7 support from our Client Services team Request tissue and schedule surgeries online with iTransplant Receive processed tissue 7 days a week
Patrick Gore, RN Chief Business Development Officer 813-753-4487
Lynn Forest-Smith Director of Business Development 727-253-0752
Kevin Wright Business Development Manager 816-255-1354
Tissue Utilization | Page 13
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
We Changed the Lives of 3,096 People In 29 States and 39 Countries
Saving Sight in Pakistan This year, Saving Sight began working with Dr. Zafar who is a member of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA). Dr. Zafar lives in Iowa and coordinates the acquisition of transplant tissue for Pakistan. After talking with him further, our Saving Sight team learned that before receiving tissue from external places, only about 10 corneas a year were donated in Pakistan. In April 2017 the APPNA started acquiring tissues from several eye banks in the United States and were able to provide 425 tissues to Pakistan. The physicians that are a part of the APPNA provide all the funding for these surgeries and post-operative care. Many of their patients are underserved and are unable to pay for their healthcare needs. APPNA was able to send Saving Sight photos from three recipients who were so grateful to receive corneal tissue to better their vision and improve their lives.
In 2018 Saving Sight distributed 289 corneal tissues to Pakistan. APPNA Pakistan Recipients L-R: (Left): 17 year old boy who was blind and could not attend school prior to his transplant. His father did not have the funds to afford surgery. (Center): A young female student who was blind and unable to study prior to her transplant. (Right): A 17 year old who was blind since age 1. Their family didn’t have money for the surgery and traveled 350 miles in order to receive a cornea transplant. Recipients of the Gift | Page 15
You can change lives by signing up for the donor registry at registerme.org
Eye Donation | Page 16