Celebrate National Eye Donor Month
Approximately 48,000 corneas will be transplanted in the U.S. this year. With their vision renewed, the cornea recipients will be able to see their families and lead healthy, independent lives. March is National Eye Donor Month, a helpful reminder that it is important to sign up for the eye, organ, and tissue donor registry and to speak with your family about donation.
Donate Life and the Eye Bank Association of America offer several graphics for public display. Please consider downloading one of the images (or several!) and adding it to your social media profile(s) in March to help promote National Eye Donor Month in your community. With these images, you can encourage people to sign up for the donor registry at registerme.org or at their local motor vehicles office.
If you would like to host an eye, organ, and tissue donor designation drive in your community, we can send additional materials and instructions. Contact us or call 800-753-2265 to request materials or find out more.
Stories of Hope
![Janice hugs her son Garrett.](/sites/default/files/image/janice-donor-with-son-garrett.png ""It gives me pleasure and comfort that a piece of her is still on this earth," said Garrett about his mother giving the gift of sight.")
Throughout her life, Janice touched those around her with her sweet and caring nature. “My mother, Janice, was a very sweet and kind woman. She was a single mother who raised me and also enjoyed spending time with her grandson, Alijah as well. My son misses his grandmother every day,” said Garrett. Janice retired from Hallmark in Kansas City after a 35-year career as a secretary. In her retirement, she enjoyed planting flowers, knitting, doing online jigsaw puzzles, traveling and listening to music. Her most treasured moments were those spent with her son and grandson.
Each year, Saving Sight works to coordinate the eye donation process for donors in partner hospitals across Missouri, Kansas and central Illinois. Saving Sight partner relations coordinators meet with the partner hospitals as the year comes to a close to honor the gifts of their donors on a national stage during the annual Tournament of Roses - Rose Parade.
Losing a child is heartbreaking. For Danielle, knowing her 10-year-old son Devon could help others through being an eye donor gives her a sense of peace. “Devon is really missed so much, but I know that he is happy he was able to help someone else,” said Danielle.