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.

The candles may also be viewed individually on our Instagram feed.

If you have a message or story to submit, please use our donor story submission form to be featured on our website.

Article written by Carolyn Scofield and reposted with permission from tulane.edu.

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.”

We explain the DIY steps and provide resources if you prefer to let someone else do it.

Southern Eye Bank invites families to celebrate their loved ones and other donor heroes by creating a square to honor them in our annual Legacy Quilt. Each quilt consists of twelve 9″ x 9″ donor squares, commemorating those who shared the gift of sight with others.

We accept new creations all year round, but keep in mind that to be included in this the most recent quilt, squares must be received by December 15, 2020. The quilts are then displayed at our annual Gift of Sight Celebration. This event gathers donor families and corneal transplant recipients to honor our donors.

If you want to create a square, but you don’t know how, these guidelines are for you. You don’t have to sew a stitch in order to make a beautiful addition to the quilt.

The design of the square should be contained within an 8″ x 8″ space, in order to leave room for a seam to sew the square into the quilt. We invite you to use fabric paints, markers, thread, and/or fabric patches to make your square. Visit our Instagram and Pinterest pages for examples of past squares, tips on sewing, creating fabric transfers, printing on fabric, and more inspiration.

Some people prefer to include a photo of their loved one along with their name, date of birth, and/or date of death. That’s wonderful! And it’s pretty easy to do. Read on for the step-by-step DIY process, as well as some online resources if choose not to do it yourself.

Your Options for Transferring Images to Fabric

There are several ways to transfer images, each with pros and cons and a varying degree of difficulty. Some, like transferring images using Liquitex gel medium or clear plastic transparency sheets, require more skills and pricier supplies. Here, we’ll cover the two easiest ways to transfer images, including photographs, to the fabric.

Most of the methods involve producing a mirror (reverse) image, especially if you’re using text, so it’s not printed backward. You can reverse your images in Photoshop or any other word processing or image-editing application, add text and graphics, and make any other modifications you want before you print them.

The Iron-On: Step by Step

For transferring photos to fabric, you’ll need:

• Fabric
• Iron-on fabric transfer paper
• Inkjet printer
• Iron
• A hard, heat-resistant surface

A note on paper: You’ll need photo transfer paper, but since there are so many brands available, please read the instructions for what type of fabric works best with the brand before you purchase. There are light and dark options, and different kinds for inkjet vs. laserjet (inkjet printers are said to be a better choice for image transfers).

1. Select/create and print your design. Select the image you want to use. Customize and modify as you see fit using word processing or photo-editing software. Don’t forget to reverse your design, especially if you’re using words. Print it on photo transfer paper.
2. Prepare the fabric. Place the fabric on a hard, heat-resistant surface (sturdy cardboard, ironing board, or wood will work). Heat your iron to medium — no steam.
3. Transfer the image. Design-side down, place the transfer paper onto the fabric. Place a sheet of paper on top (between the iron and the transfer sheet). Iron the whole surface. Make small circles and move the iron constantly for best results.
4. Remove the paper. After you let the transfer cool off for a few seconds, carefully peel off the backing paper.

Using Freezer Paper

This process lets you run the fabric directly through the printer. It uses freezer paper to add sturdiness to the fabric. A laser printer works better than an inkjet, but if you get the fabric pre-treated for printing, it won’t matter. Also, make sure you use freezer paper, which is waxy on just one side, not wax paper.

1. Prepare the fabric and the freezer paper. Cut the fabric and the freezer paper to the size of the printer’s paper tray — 8 1/2″ x 11″ (the quilt square image size shouldn’t exceed 8” x 8” inches though). Be precise. You can use a piece of sturdy card stock as a template.
2. Iron. Press the waxy side of the freezer paper to the back of the fabric, and iron them slowly to meld them together.
3. Print. Run your fabric through the printer so the image appears on the cloth side.

Resources

Don’t feel like doing it yourself? No problem. There are many companies (some local) that will do it for you with a quick turnaround. A quick internet search should yield a list of options, but here are a few:

• https://versatranz.com/
• https://www.vividink.com/services/custom-fabric-printing
• https://www.youcustomizeit.com/
• https://www.gentillymail.com/
• https://www.bagsoflove.com/custom-fabric-printing
• https://www.bettysphotosonfabric.com/

We’ll be honored to celebrate your loved one and hope you consider making a quilt square for our Legacy Quilt!

November 2020 is officially Eye Donation Month in the State of Louisiana, by proclamation of Governor John Bel Edwards! Click here to view the official proclamation.

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.