Cornea Recipient Joins Eye Bank in Celebrating Sight in April

Transplant recipient, Mike Foley,
shares a message of donation in April.

Although it has been several years since his cornea transplant surgery, the Heartland Lions Eye Banks has been very lucky to stay in close contact with one of our Joplin-area recipients, Mike Foley. As a cornea transplant recipient, Mike has become an advocate of eye and organ donation and occasionally speaks on behalf of the Eye Bank. Mike will be speaking about his experience receiving the "gift of sight" on Friday, April 13 at the Joplin Celebration of Life Ceremony at Freeman Health.

Prior to receiving his cornea transplant in 1997, recipient Mike Foley admits that when looking at certain things, they were just a blur to him. For instance, Mike had never been able to see the beauty of stars in the sky at night or Christmas lights during the holiday season. The joy of seeing Christmas lights for the first time with his family after his December 2 transplant was truly an incredible experience.

And that is what Mike has been able to do so much more of since his surgery- experience new things thanks to receiving the gift of sight.

Mike developed keratoconus during adolescence, a condition in which the cornea becomes cone-shaped and vision becomes impaired. By the age of 24, his vision had become so bad that a transplant was needed. At the time of his transplant surgery, Mike's vision in his left eye was 20/200. While Mike was anxious and a little nervous about his impending surgery, he knew that the transplant would restore his sight and he looked forward to seeing clearly.

Since receiving his transplant, Mike's life has seen a world of change. He was able to get off of welfare, and now has a full time job where he can do a variety tasks that he would not have been able to do with his poor vision. His transplant was a success, and his vision is now a drastically improved 20/40. His own surgeon said that Mike’s surgery was a complete success and that Mike was an ideal candidate.

Mike says that one of the things that he's learned from his transplant is not to take anything in life for granted. More importantly, he also feels a special connection to the donor family and the people who have worked to help make his transplant possible. Mike says that his true heroes are the donors and donor families who made a decision to share sight and life with others.

"I received a gift- they [donor families] received nothing,"said Foley. "They thought of someone else."

Everyday, Mike is reminded of the gift that he has received through his transplant and gives thanks for the chance to see clearly. The stars that he has put on the ceiling in his house remind him how truly wonderful it is to be able to see life’s small beauties again.

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April 2006
All Month
Join the Foundation in commemorating National Donate Life Month. Encourage those around you to become an eye, organ and tissue donor by joining their state's donor registry at www.shareyourlife.org.

Upcoming Events
May 5-7
Be sure to stop by the Foundation's display at the Lions State Convention in Springfield, MO.

June 3-4
Board of Directors meeting and Educational Forum Weekend for incoming Vice District Governors and MLERF Board members. All Lions are welcome to attend the 9 a.m. Board meeting at the Foundation's library. For more information, please contact Annie Kuhl 314-428-4373 x107.

Looking for more detailed information on our upcoming amblyopia and glaucoma screenings? Visit our screening calendar online.

April Proclaimed National Donate Life Month
President George W. Bush began National Donate Life Month by reading a special proclamation on April 1.

“National Donate Life Month is an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their fine example.”

Throughout the month of April the Heartland Lions Eye Banks and its branch offices will be participating in events to celebrate the gifts of life and sight with our partners in sight restoration and transplantation. Please visit our web site to see a listing of current events. You can learn more about National Donate Life Month at www.organdonor.gov.