Join the Fight 4Sight During National Eye Donor Month This March
Heartland Lions Eye Banks encourages individuals to join their state’s eye, organ and tissue donor registry this March.
Columbia, Mo. (February 14, 2012) – On Valentine’s Day 2011, Tammy truly received a gift from the heart – a cornea transplant that restored the vision she had lost due to keratoconus. “I’m not going to forget the day – that’s for sure,” she remarked. “It’s the best gift I could have received. I know what it’s going to do for me in the long run. When you lose sight, you lose a lot of your world.”
Thanks to the generosity of donor families, the support of partner hospitals, and the work of Heartland Lions Eye Banks, donated eye tissue was provided for 2,556 cornea transplants in 2011 – helping to save the sight of Tammy and thousands of other individuals suffering from an ocular disease, disorder or injury. During National Eye Donor Month this March, the Eye Bank honors its donors from Missouri, Kansas and Illinois and encourages the public to join the Fight 4Sight by following four simple steps:
1. Talk with your friends and family about your choice to donate.
2. Learn more about eye donation.
3. Pledge to be an eye, organ and tissue donor through your state’s donor registry.
4. Share the message of donation with others in your community.
Individuals who wish to make the pledge can join a registry by visiting their local registry - www.donatelifemissouri.com, www.donatelifekansas.com or www.donatelifeillinois.com or when obtaining or renewing their license at their local Department of Motor Vehicles.
Please read the National Eye Donor Month FAQs, download the National Eye Donor Month PSAs or download the Eye Bank's National Eye Donor Month logo.
About Heartland Lions Eye Banks
Heartland Lions Eye Banks is a division of the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, a 501c(3) organization with the mission to preserve and restore the sight of people throughout Missouri and around the world. Since its founding, the Eye Bank has helped give the gift of sight to 38,000 people worldwide. The Eye Bank operates seven branches throughout Missouri, Kansas and Illinois with headquarters in Columbia, Mo. The Eye Bank is one of the five largest eye banks in the U.S. and offers high quality donor cornea tissue to transplant surgeons. In addition, the Eye Bank is committed to research for causes and cures for eye diseases.
