Mike Foley Recipient Story
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 is 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 of 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 important, he also feels a special connection to his 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 make the 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 up on the ceiling in his house remind him how truly wonderful it is to be able to see life's beauty again.