Changing Lives Every Day
News & Stories
Man who's seen the world can see once again
When Allen Tiesman enlisted in the Air Force in 1961, he wanted to get as far away from his hometown of Fulton, Illinois, as possible.
“I wanted to see as much of the world as I could,” Tiesman says.
Cornea recipient now transports tissue for others
There’s been a band in Larry Busch’s family for as far as anyone can remember.
Veteran mechanic always wanted to help others
LeMars native Brian Majeres was known for helping others in his community.
“He would have given anyone the shirt off his back,” says his wife, Pat Majeres. “He was one of the kindest, most loving people.”
"Big John" was a dreamer with a big heart
If you live in Cedar Rapids, you might have seen John Cooper.
Some people knew him as “the pizza guy” or the guy who traveled all over town in his wheelchair, waving as passersby honked hello.
'Miss Ann' was proud of her roots, being a teacher
Ann Tannreuther, of Waterloo, loved teaching children. As a Head Start and preschool instructor for almost her entire career, being a good teacher was very important to her.
Iowa woman had the 'greatest smile'
George Rickey says his wife, Sally, had the “greatest smile you ever would see.”
In fact, smiles are what brought them together.
They met in Columbus, Ohio, after appearing on a radio show called “Desperate & Dateless,” that was like “The Dating Game.”
Illinois man says restored vision 'like a gift every day'
Jeff Govednik enjoys doing stand-up comedy in his spare time.
Nebraska woman thankful for life-changing cornea transplant
After spending time working around her acreage in late June 2022, Tiffani Zeleny says she woke up in the middle of the night with what felt like an itchy left eye.
2022 Impact Map
A total of 927 Iowa donors provided corneal transplant tissue for 687 recipients in 2022. Additional gifted corneas were used for research and educational purposes to advance knowledge of blindness-causing diseases and transplantation techniques. See the full image.
From Central New York to Central America: ILEB helps facilitate corneal transplants in Honduras
Four people in Central America received the gift of sight in September 2022 thanks to Iowa Lions Eye Bank and a University of Iowa alum.