Saying YES! to donation can change someone's life
What would life be like if you couldn’t see? Imagine not being able to work, see the faces of your loved ones or appreciate a bright, sunny day. For millions of people around the world, this reality impacts every part of their lives.
But there is hope. For more than 75 years, donors and their families have made our mission to restore sight and prevent blindness possible by consenting to donation. During the recovery process, our highly trained technicians assess, preserve and transport each donor’s gift with care and precision.
And those donations mean everything for the recipients. Evelin Vazquez feared for her sight because of a progressive eye disease, but a cornea transplant using tissue donated from someone she will never know allowed her to follow her dreams and care for her 5-year-old son. Evelin even had the opportunity to meet her donor’s mother—an emotional encounter between two people brought together by the gift of sight. Read more
FAQs about donation
Writing to your loved one's recipient
Many donor families want to connect with the individuals who received their loved one’s tissue. We can help make that connection by coordinating communication between you and the transplant recipient.
Anytime is a good time to write. Whether it has been weeks or months since the loss of your loved one, recipients are grateful to hear from you.
Suggestions for writing
To protect the privacy of both parties, Eversight forwards letters and cards anonymously—unless both parties sign confidentiality waivers that allow us to share personal contact information.
• Using only first names, tell them something special or unique about your loved one and family in a letter or a “thinking of you” card
• Consider writing about your decision to donate the gift of sight
• Be sensitive regarding religious comments and views since the recipient's religion is unknown
• Please sign only your first name. Do not use last names, street addresses, city names, phone numbers or names of hospitals or physicians
Mailing your correspondence
Place your card or letter in an unsealed envelope. Include a separate note to Eversight, requesting your correspondence be mailed to the transplant recipient. We will need your full name, phone number and date of surgery. Mail both pieces in one envelope to an Eversight location near you. View locations here.
Share your experiences with donation and transplantation
You can help make vision a reality for more than 8,000 people every year by supporting our mission.
