Changing Lives Every Day
News & Stories
Transplant lifechanging for musician, sound healer
Alma Drake is a musician and a sound healer and spends a lot of their time listening with their eyes closed.
But when they did open their eyes, they struggled to read, recognize people, and drive, especially at night.
Two-time cornea recipient competes at Transplant Games
When she was in college, Crystal Ellis struggled with a lack of depth perception due to a giant cloudy scar on her right eye.
Donor was 'rock' of emergency room
Bonnie Thomas was “the rock” of the emergency room at UnityPoint Health-Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines.
“She knew how everything went and she knew a lot people,” says Thomas’ daughter, Elissa Turner.
Physician Assistant has seen both sides of donation
Although a few of Myrl Holida’s loved ones have been cornea donors, Holida never thought he would be on the other side of the process.
Schmidt helps provide corneal transplants in Eswatini
It’s a bright, clear January morning in Sidvokodvothe, Eswatini, approximately 250 miles east of Johannesburg, South Africa.
2023 Impact Map
A total of 1,015 Iowa donors provided corneal transplant tissue for 732 recipients in 2023. Additional gifted corneas were used for research and educational purposes to advance knowledge of blindness-causing diseases and transplantation techniques. See the full image.
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.