All posts by Emily Eaton
Employee Spotlight: Megan Lopez
Say hello to Megan Lopez…
What is your job title?
Laboratory Coordinator
How long have you worked for SEB?
I was a recovery technician for about 1.5 years. I briefly left SEB but I returned in 2016. I have been in my current position for about 4.5 years.
How does your work help donation?
The laboratory coordinators are the behind-the-scenes people who make sure that the generous gifts these donors and their families have selflessly given us are able to find homes with recipients who are in need of corneal transplants. We are the brief layover between the tissue recovery process and the actual transplantation process. We make sure that the tissue is safe for transplant and then work with various domestic and international partners (surgeons, researchers, other eye banks, etc.) to try to make sure all gifts can help someone in need.
Why is your work important to you?
I love being able to help facilitate corneal transplants for those in need of such a life changing procedure. Since my job requires me to review donor medical records in order to make sure every tissue is safe for transplant, I get to know at least a little bit about every donor’s story even though I never had the opportunity to meet them. Finding recipients for their gifts and helping our donors’ legacy live on by helping someone else regain their vision is really rewarding, and I am so thankful to get to be a small part in that every day.
Recipient Stories: Neko
Donor Stories: David Jr.
To the recipient of David Jr.’s eyes,
Our family is so happy that you have been given sight through my brother’s generous gift. As a family, we hope that his eyes last your whole life, allowing you to see the beauty of family, friends and nature, three things that were important to him.
I, Denise, want to tell you a little about my brother. David was larger than life to family and friends, enjoying life to the fullest in many ways. He loved camping and had everything and more for camping! He and my dad, who is also a David (my dad passed a week after David), went camping many times over the years. He loved going to Mile High to pitch a tent and camp because the beauty of nature thrilled him. My nephew Justin, dad, and I went with him recently to the mountains for the Indian POW WOW in Cherokee (he and my father often went to this – it’s usually in July), and he knew everything and we had a great time. History was his favorite. He taught history and even participated in war reenactments up North. He had all the gear for this too! David would go almost every year until he got sick. David had a vast knowledge of history. If you started off with him, he could literally talk for hours and he would talk about what you would want to hear; eventually, he could go on until you had an overload. David also served in the army and was a police officer as well. He lived in Metairie, Louisiana.
David’s love for life was infectious. He belonged to a fraternity. To this day, that frat house knows all about David (he was 49 when he passed). He’s a legend there; his brothers loved him dearly. Since we were waiting to bury him with our mom who passed 11 months before him, we decided to have a gathering to celebrate his life. The turnout was great – our house had so many people you had to say excuse me just to walk around!
The brothers came out as well as his friends, many of whom he did not see for years. I had one request for the celebration: stories had to be told about him. We discovered that David was the mastermind behind the numerous antics that went down. Oh my, they were funny stories! Quite a few guys were choked up and cried as they told their stories. My father was there and met many of his friends (he was in his bedroom). He was so pleased that there were so many that came out and that they loved his son.
David had three names that suited him just fine: Crazy Dave, Chief, and Mad Dawg. Mad Dawg was his name on the army games on the computer he played with many all over the world. Even they texted or called when he passed.
He truly was a great brother and friend. We miss him dearly and hold many fond memories. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know about our brother through this letter.
If you are willing, we would like to meet you and share stories and pictures with you.
Sincerely,
Denise, Lisa, Nicole, and Shawn (his sisters)
Recipient Stories: Steven
I am a divorced father of two beautiful boys ages 15 and 13. I have been a licensed funeral director and embalmer for 31 years. My hobbies are baseball and reading.
I noticed the eyesight in my right eye becoming blurry about 15 years ago. A few years later I was diagnosed with Keratoconus by an ophthalmologist at the VA outpatient Clinic in Baton Rouge.
The condition really affected my life in so many ways. I would squint so much that people would ask me what was wrong. It was really embarrassing. Parts of my job are very fine and detailed, just like a surgeon’s. With my eyesight like it was, I had a lot of trouble differentiating anatomical structures. As a funeral director, I coordinated and helped Southern Eye bank with corneal donations. I will never forget the first corneal donation I helped with after my surgery. It was such a riveting experience, I started crying. After all those year I never once thought I would be a cornea recipient myself.
My surgeon, Ginny Kullman, M.D., was great. I started seeing her in 2014 and then quit. After three years, I went back to her in 2017. By then, I was at the end-stage of Keratoconus and my cornea was completely cloudy. During the eye exam, I could only see finger motions with my right eye. She informed me that I had to have a corneal transplant, so on February 22, 2018, I had a full-thickness corneal transplant done. The surgery went well with no complications. I had adjusted well to the new cornea and steroid eye drops for anti-rejection.
Since my surgery, my life has been dramatically changed. The colors, edges and shapes of everything are a lot more vivid. When I step off a curb, my sons don’t have to help me. My depth perception has improved a lot. My two boys have said, “Daddy, you can see again.” They still watch me and are very protective of me – a blessing.
It has meant the world to me and my family to have my sight back. Just to be able to read something without squinting is amazing.
This journey has taught me what we sometimes take for granted in life. I am most thankful for the way God has kept me through this journey and has seen me to the end of it. If anyone has perfect eyesight, please don’t take it for granted.
I can now walk outside and see all the colors so vibrant. My boys run up and show me things I that I can see and I know how to respond to them.
To my donor family – If I could even meet you I would say you gave me the most precious gift anyone could ever give. Knowing that your loved one is a part of me is very humbling and an honor. Your loved one has passed on but a part of them can live on through me. God bless you all and thank you for your precious gift to me.
Through the act of donation, my life has been changed forever. There is a whole new world for me to rediscover, memories to recapture. God works in mysterious ways, I count myself as being one of those miracles.
Steven
Recipient Stories: Remembrance With Gratitude
After my parents, sister and other loved ones passed, I found comfort in keeping them in my memory, and I feel that, as long as someone is remembered, they are still here with us. I can assure you that, for the rest of my life, not a day will go by that I don’t think of your loved one, my donor, with gratitude and thanks.
A Cornea Recipient
Recipient Stories: We Blink Together Now
Glenda, the mother of five, sent a “Thank You” letter to the mother of her 17-year-old cornea donor. She wrote that she now has six children. “Five who are still with me and one who helps me see the world with his enthusiasm and joy.”
My donor,
I did not know you but I wish I did. I wish I knew your name. I have been talking to you, imagining you, and thanking you every day since the operation. I also think of your family; their loss must be devastating. Sometimes I can almost feel their grief, perhaps it is because we are now connected. I can only hope that my gratitude for your very special gift to me brings them some solace. And know from now on, every image I see, every image I record, will share a part of your vision in it. We blink together now, across the divide.
A grateful recipient
Recipient Stories: We Are So Thankful for Our Donor
To my donor family,
I am extremely sorry that you lost a loved one. When my doctor informed me that I needed a cornea transplant, he said that the cornea would come from someone who donated their eyes.
I was sad at first to know my vision would come from someone who lost their life but I was comforted to know that there are good people in this world that are kind-hearted. My donor did not have to say “yes” to donation but I bet he/she did because they must have been a very kind person. I am honored to have been given such a wonderful gift from him/her.
Because I had my transplant, I am able to play with my children without supervision. My wife and I have four-month-old twins and they are a handful! I have been able to go back to work and help her with our girls.
Thank you from my wife, our children and myself. We are so thankful for our donor. Thank you so very much!
Your recipient family
Recipient Stories: All of Our Gratitude
My friend,
I am the mother of a sweet four-year-old boy who has had two corneal transplants. One cornea came from you. I think of you every day. My son’s first corneal transplant happened when he was two years old but unfortunately did not heal well. His doctor has said that this cornea was beautiful and has a very high percentage rate of success.
My son likes to play outside but we watch him carefully. He also loves to play with his sister and brother. My husband will be returning from his service in November and has not seen our son since the surgery. He will see a different child. He is much happier now. My son does not know how lucky he is that your family agreed to donate. He will. I will tell him over and over again about his donor. We are very grateful for the first donor and are very grateful for you.
Because of your generosity, my son and our family live a normal life. The ophthalmologist stated that my son may never need another transplant and that he is very fortunate because pediatric corneas are very hard to locate. That makes me believe that the donor was a child like my son. I can’t imagine losing a child or any member of my family and then turning around and helping someone you don’t even know. I can’t thank you enough. I will always let my son know how much of a hero his donor family is to us.
All of our gratitude.
Recipient Stories: Anonymous
To whom it may concern:
I am the cornea recipient who wants to thank you for your decision to donate. Words can never describe how grateful I am for your gift. You are in my prayers.
