VisionGift

12/09/2025

Thank you to Donate Life America for sharing Paul and Amber's story!! Make sure to read below...

Amber describes her son Paul as a light in every room he entered. Born with cerebral palsy and other medical challenges, Paul faced more than his fair share of adversity, but he did so with a radiant smile and a playful sense of humor that charmed everyone he met. “He never let anything hold him back. Even when he wasn’t feeling well, he smiled. His eyes would light up." Whether it was joking with nurses, hooting and clapping at Montana’s Virginia City theater, or riding horses, Paul embraced life with joy and courage. His bus drivers, teachers, and friends all remember how one glance at his smile could turn a tough day around.
When Paul passed away earlier this year, Amber honored his wish to be a donor. Though his medical condition limited traditional organ donation, Paul was able to donate his corneas for research, an act that may someday help restore sight to others. His contribution is already part of ongoing studies into gene therapy and corneal cell regeneration, work that could change the future of eye care for thousands.
Amber and her family continue to celebrate Paul’s legacy and honor his memory. “Paul taught me unconditional love and that no obstacle is too great.” 💙💚 Thank you to VisionGift for sharing this story with us!

12/05/2025

Today we celebrate a historic and heartfelt milestone at VisionGift. Earlier this year, Dr. Mark A. Terry retired as our longtime Medical Director, and the other day he performed his final corneal transplant, marking his last day in the OR before stepping away from surgical practice.

For decades, Dr. Terry has advanced corneal transplantation, helped restore sight for thousands of patients, fueled groundbreaking research, and trained a generation of surgeons who will carry his legacy forward. We are profoundly grateful for his trust in VisionGift and his unwavering dedication to honoring donors and their families.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Terry on an exceptional surgical career and wishing him all the best in this next chapter. 👏

12/04/2025

Help others see your , register today and become a cornea donor!

12/04/2025

We’re honored that our friends at Donate Life America are sharing the story of a VisionGift cornea donor whose gift of sight continues to change lives.

Paul's story highlights how one family’s “yes” in the midst of loss has created a lasting legacy of hope and restored vision through research.
Thank you to all donors and donor families who make sight-restoring miracles possible every day.

Amber describes her son Paul as a light in every room he entered. Born with cerebral palsy and other medical challenges, Paul faced more than his fair share of adversity, but he did so with a radiant smile and a playful sense of humor that charmed everyone he met. “He never let anything hold him back. Even when he wasn’t feeling well, he smiled. His eyes would light up." Whether it was joking with nurses, hooting and clapping at Montana’s Virginia City theater, or riding horses, Paul embraced life with joy and courage. His bus drivers, teachers, and friends all remember how one glance at his smile could turn a tough day around.
When Paul passed away earlier this year, Amber honored his wish to be a donor. Though his medical condition limited traditional organ donation, Paul was able to donate his corneas for research, an act that may someday help restore sight to others. His contribution is already part of ongoing studies into gene therapy and corneal cell regeneration, work that could change the future of eye care for thousands.
Amber and her family continue to celebrate Paul’s legacy and honor his memory. “Paul taught me unconditional love and that no obstacle is too great.” 💙💚 Thank you to VisionGift for sharing this story with us!

12/03/2025

Happy Anniversary to The Oregon Trail, released on this day in 1971!

If you grew up on this classic, you’ll remember the dreaded “You have died of dysentery.”
But in our world, we’d like to imagine a brighter ending: “You Have Restored Sight.”

Through the gift of cornea donation and transplantation, lives are changed every day. Sight is restored, independence returns, and new journeys begin.

Here’s to honoring donors, helping recipients, and rewriting endings with hope.

12/01/2025

Samir Hamada shares his experience when asked the question: What matters most in graft shape?

11/28/2025

Look at that! VisionGift Board Member and Donor Mom, Anne Carleton was one of the finalists for Eye Bank Association of America's Everyday Heroes Challenge – giving individuals the opportunity to honor their personal heroes, and see them reimagined as superhero comic book characters, drawn by bilateral cornea recipient and professional comic book artist, Phil Hester.

Anne knows the life-changing impact of donation in a deeply personal way. Her son Hayden’s gift of sight continues to shine through each life he touched, inspiring Anne to speak up for donor families, recipients, and the importance of saying “yes” to donation.

Through Anne's storytelling and advocacy, she helps VisionGift’s mission reach more people, honoring heroes like Hayden and all those who give and receive the hashtag .

Join us in celebrating all the hashtag who make cornea donation possible: donors and their families, eye bank professionals, surgeons, and champions of eye donation everywhere.

11/26/2025

As we gather for Thanksgiving, we know the holidays can be especially hard for families who are missing someone they love.

In November 2020, VisionGift hosted a virtual gathering where donor families came together to share memories and favorite recipes in honor of their loved ones. The result was a beautiful recipe book filled with love, stories, and legacy.

Here, Chantal Prather Wright shares her brother Austin’s “Famous Southern Chocolate Pie” and a fond Thanksgiving memory. We are deeply grateful to Chantal and to all donor families - the gifts of life, sight, and mobility simply wouldn’t be possible without your courage and generosity.
The Donor Family Group's 'Holiday Recipes & Memories': https://bit.ly/DFRecipes

11/24/2025

As Eye Donation Month draws closer to a close, we celebrate Christine, our Everyday Hero and the face of 2025 . Her story honors the donors who give the gift of sight and the recipients whose lives are changed by cornea transplantation.

Join us by registering as a donor at RegisterMe.org

11/21/2025

Happy

11/20/2025

11/17/2025

Driven by data. Powered by collaboration. Focused on impact.

Say hello to Kody Westrick, CEBT, our VP of Donor Services, who turns metrics into momentum. From process improvements to program health, his work helps us serve more people - more effectively - every day.