Richard’s Story

September 21, 2020

Christine is a busy mother of two and a dedicated high school
English teacher, directing her school’s internship program for
students to gain hands-on and practical experience for transition
to college or beyond. She’s a self professed “Zumba Junkie” and
enjoys spending time outdoors with her newly adopted rescue
dog Sassy. She’s used to going full steam ahead, until she began
noticing pain and loss of vision clarity when transitioning to and
from direct sunlight.
For Christine, the change in her vision came at a time when she
wasn’t sleeping well at night and as she didn’t have a history of
vision issues, she tolerated the problem for some time before
seeing an ophthalmologist. Her doctor discovered she had
Fuch’s Dystrophy and the cells in her corneas were so swollen and crowded she would need
emergency laser surgery in her left eye to reduce the pressure and save her sight. Cataracts added to
her vision problem, and the trauma to her corneas removing them, led to the need for an immediate
cornea transplant in her left eye.
Christine received the transplant using corneal tissue recovered
from a donor shortly after their passing. This new cornea has
allowed Christine to return to her active lifestyle with better
vision and no pain. Eventually, she will have a second surgery on
her right eye, but for now her vision and quality of life has
improved dramatically.
As Christine puts it: “This surgery is really symbolic to me—I’m
really seeing the world through different eyes and I’m so very
thankful for the kindness of the donor and their family in
making my Gift of Sight possible.”
In loving memory and tribute to the compassionate and
generous Gift of Sight to people in need.
Every year, thousands of people are affected by a treatable form of blindness, and through the
gracious decision to donate, these individuals gain the priceless and life-changing gift of sight.
Choosing to become a donor is choosing to be part of the solution to eliminate corneal blindness.
Thank you on behalf of CorneaGen and cornea recipients.