The following is a letter Southern Eye Bank received from a donor family:
Greetings,
Our family would like to acknowledge Southern Eye Bank for its honorable efforts in restoring eyesight throughout the state of Louisiana. We thank you for your outreach confirming transplantation of our loving mother’s/wife’s eyes and are reaching back out regarding this donation that she was the donor of. We pray all is well with the recipient, and are thrilled to know that our beloved donor was able to give the gift of sight to someone after she passed away.
Our mother/wife was such a kind and compassionate woman, always extending love and grace to others, and gifted our family with many blessings throughout her life. We are deeply grateful to know her gifts are still reaching others, allowing someone to see and enjoy the world.
It is because of her love for others that she was able to so freely and selflessly make a donation that could so positively impact another’s life. We would love the opportunity to be able to meet the person who received this blessing. The idea that a part of her lives on brings us such comfort – and we are hopeful of the chance to get to express our joy of that in-person.
We thank you for being open to our request, and please know that we respect the wishes of the recipient regarding an interest in meeting. We send well wishes for continued blessings to our mother’s recipient and that a rich life continues on in her name.
Thank you for your interest, but the position has been filled.
Position Description
The Day Shift Recovery Technician is responsible for the recovery of corneas and whole globes for transplant and research.
In addition, the recovery technician will be in charge of laboratory maintenance.
Responsibilities
Recovery of ocular tissue from donors along with donor medical chart review
Ability and willingness to learn FDA and EBAA guidance’s, regulations and contraindications
Maintenance of laboratory cleanliness, equipment, donor recovery supplies and inventory
Any other duties assigned by the Technical Director and/or Laboratory Coordinator
Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been acquired.
A minimum of one year (1) in medical or surgical field
Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Attention to detail and surgical precision (dexterity is a must).
Ability to professionally interface with peers, funeral homes, coroners and hospital personnel on assignments.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office is required
Ability to quickly learn and master new databases and systems
Additional Details
This is a Day Shift Position – the candidate will work seven (7) 12 hour (6AM-6PM) shifts Bi-Weekly
Must own a vehicle with valid auto insurance and have a driver’s license
Ability to travel through service region as required
Flexibility to work weekends, nights and holidays to cover on-call shifts as needed
Due to COVID-19, many of our community events for 2021 have been redesigned as virtual events. Please join us as we continue to honor those who have shared the Gift of Sight.
EBAA Run for Vision 2021
November 1 – 30
Join ophthalmologists, eye bankers, corneal transplant recipients, and donor family members to support EBAA’s mission to restore sight through cornea donation and transplantation. Sponsored by Bausch + Lomb, EBAA is once again hosting their annual Run for Vision virtually from your home any time in November.
Visit the EBAA Run for Vision site for more details, and click here to join the Southern Eye Bank race team! Our team will compete individually throughout the month of November. Send us your race photos to be featured on SEB’s social media!
This is a perfect time to buy that favorite piece of jewelry, purchase holiday gifts, and fund the education programs that help our community understand the need for cornea donation.
Please accept our heartfelt thanks for all you are doing during this trying time. Your compassion and dedication are changing the world.
As Louisiana is still facing the many challenges of COVID, we know that our dedicated doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are working tirelessly on the front lines. Southern Eye Bank will be delivering goody bags and notes to support local medical workers, and we’d like your help! Please take a moment to submit a message of thanks to the hospitals and staff who tackle incredible tasks each and every day, especially during this pandemic. We’ll share these messages on Facebook and Instagram in hopes to uplift our amazing healthcare heroes!
How does your work help donation?
I help facilitate donation by preparing and managing a great team that handles everything from the recovery of the gift, laboratory evaluation for the safety of our recipients, and all of the way until we provide the gift for the surgeon to transplant.
Why is your work important to you?
The work we do is important to me for both professional and personal reasons. To see the great effect that this can have for people to regain or improve their sight and also to see the comfort it provides our donor families to know their loved ones are still living on through other people are the most satisfying aspects of what our team does at Southern Eye Bank. On a personal level, before my grandma passed away, she began to lose her vision. The only thing my grandma loved to do in her spare time was read, and I have never stopped thinking about how much a corneal transplant could have helped her. She was the most selfless person I have ever known, and I truly want to be able to help give that to our recipients, as I know how much it would have meant to her.
How long have you worked for SEB?
I have worked here for 5 and a half years.
How does your work help donation?
I screen to determine suitability then approach the families for authorization to perform the recoveries.
Why is your work important to you?
As a referral coordinator, I find it rewarding to be allowed to facilitate the final wish of a donor and their family in giving the Miracle of Sight to a recipient in need.
Every year during the holiday season, many of our partner hospitals host a candle lighting service for donor families and recipients to honor their heroes. This year for the safety of our community, we will honor the memory of our donors virtually instead.
Submissions for this year’s ceremony have closed, and a huge thanks goes out to everyone who participated. We are beyond moved by the number of submissions we received. The memories and legacies these hero donors left behind persevere in our hearts and minds and in the lives of those they gifted with sight.
Article written by Carolyn Scofield and reposted with permission from tulane.edu.
The Oliver and Carroll Dabezies Endowed Chair at Tulane School of Medicine will be established through a gift from their daughter, Elizabeth Dabezies Goodyear, and Charles W. Goodyear. Dr. Oliver Dabezies (above right) was an alumnus of and longtime clinical professor at the School of Medicine; his wife, Carroll (above left), was supportive throughout his career. (Photo provided by the Goodyear/Dabezies family)
A graduate and longtime clinical professor at Tulane University School of Medicine and his wife will be honored with a new endowed chair bearing their names. The Oliver and Carroll Dabezies Endowed Chair at Tulane School of Medicine will be established through a gift from Elizabeth Dabezies Goodyear and Charles W. Goodyear. The Oliver and Carroll Dabezies Chair will be held by the chairperson of the Department of Ophthalmology and will provide support for the chairperson’s work in clinical practice, research, professional development or service.
“Dr. Dabezies lived a life devoted to service and family,” Tulane President Michael Fitts said. “This generous gift from Elizabeth Dabezies Goodyear and Charles W. Goodyear will ensure that the impact of Dr. Dabezies’ work as an internationally known leader in the field of ophthalmology continues through future generations.”
“I have long wanted to do something that recognized my father’s contributions to the field of ophthalmology and specifically at Tulane,” said Elizabeth Goodyear. “I also wanted to honor my mother’s important supportive role in my father’s tremendous success in his academic work. With inspiration from my uncle, Eugene Dabezies, we decided that the best way to honor both of my parents was through this endowed chair at Tulane.”
“Dr. Dabezies had a tremendous impact on the future of eye health here in New Orleans, across the country and around the world.” – Dean Lee Hamm, M.D.
“My brother was dedicated to his family, his career in ophthalmology and was a fine member of the New Orleans community,” said Dr. Eugene Dabezies (A&S ’57, M ’60). “Honoring Oliver’s contributions with Carroll’s partnership in this way would have been so meaningful to them.”
Dr. Oliver Dabezies received his undergraduate degree from Tulane in 1951 and his medical degree in 1954 and completed his residency at Tulane in 1958. Post-residency, he spent two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a captain and director of the Resident Education Program at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He returned to New Orleans in 1960 and taught in the Department of Ophthalmology until his retirement in 1999.
Dr. Dabezies was recognized for his leadership roles in national organizations and was one of the pioneers in the development and use of contact lenses. Among his other achievements, Dr. Dabezies served as a founding member and president of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists (CLAO), served as its executive vice president for 11 years and authored its textbook on contact lenses. Through his association with CLAO, he became involved with the American National Standards Institute and chaired the group that formulated standards for contact lens solutions. He also created the International Contact Lens Society of Ophthalmologists.
He served on the board and was vice president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was secretary of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology section. He was a widely published writer and editor, held four active hospital affiliations, was a member of 11 medical societies, a lecturer at national and international meetings, and maintained a busy practice.
Dr. Dabezies helped to establish the Southern Eye Bank, serving on the board for 42 years and was president at the time of his death. He was the first recipient of the Eye Bank Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Dabezies was President of the Tulane Medical Alumni Association from 1991-1992, received Tulane Medical School’s Distinguished Service Award in 1994 and was named Tulane Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumnus in 1994.
“Dr. Dabezies had a tremendous impact on the future of eye health here in New Orleans, across the country and around the world,” said Dr. Lee Hamm, dean of Tulane University School of Medicine. “This endowed chair will further his legacy in education and outreach.”
Due to COVID-19, all community events for 2020 have been redesigned as virtual events. Please join us as we continue to honor those who have shared the Gift of Sight.
Lafayette General Candlelight Ceremony
We are hosting a virtual candlelight ceremony, enabling families to light a virtual candle for their hero.
Follow us on Facebook for more information on the event.
Lafayette General Brick Dedication
The inscribed bricks will be in place by November 3, 2020.
Family members are encouraged to visit La Place de Vie, the Garden of Life in front of the hospital, at any time to view their hero’s brick. Please remember social distancing and face masks.
Heart of Donation Program
We will be presenting a quilt to the Lafayette General Medical Center Staff.
Each heart has been signed by a staff member who makes donation possible.
The presentation will take place with minimal attendees, but follow us on Facebook for photos and videos of this special event!
How long have you worked for SEB?
I have worked for Southern Eye Bank for 5 wonderful years.
How does your work help donation?
As a lab coordinator I am able to review the social and medical history of the donor in order to verify the gifts that were donated can be used for transplant into a recipient. I also evaluate the donor tissue and process it for surgical use for the surgeons. All of my day-to-day responsibilities are to make sure that we handle the donor gifts in a respectable manner and place them with the most suitable recipient to ensure a successful transplant.
Why is your work important to you?
It is an honor to be able to work for Southern Eye Bank because I am able to give the donor family a sense of closure and ability to know their loved one has given a very special gift of sight to a recipient. I am also able to give a recipient a chance to see the world around them again. I am just a small piece of the big puzzle to give the gift of sight. I find that my life is so much more enriched from my career and being able to help others.
November 2021 is officially Eye Donation Month in the State of Louisiana, by proclamation of Governor John Bel Edwards! 
What is your job title?
What is your job title?
November 2020 is officially Eye Donation Month in the State of Louisiana, by proclamation of Governor John Bel Edwards! 
What is your job title?
