14/07/2025
This we are inspired by Kris's story, a cornea recipient who is also a living kidney donor! Kris shows us that a cornea transplant is "not just about seeing—it’s about living fully again.”
For much of his adult life, Kris never gave his vision much thought. He’d always had perfect eyesight. But about five years ago, he noticed the world looked as if he were peering through a fogged-up window.
At first, he thought it was just part of getting older—but the fog didn’t lift. The pain increased. Light became unbearable, even indoors. “My eyes would swell at night,” Kris recalled. “And by morning, I’d wake up in pain, unable to see clearly for hours.”
Eventually, doctors diagnosed him with Fuchs’ Dystrophy, a degenerative disease of the cornea. He knew then that he would one day need a transplant. “It wasn’t about if—it was when,” he said.
After a few months of post-surgery surgery for the first time in years, the fog is gone. The pain isn’t there. He sees clearly, vibrant color, texture on the wall, the individual hairs on his dog’s coat. Kris describes
it as “Like living in HD.”
But Kris’s story isn’t just about receiving. Years before, he had donated a kidney to his uncle.
“It seemed like no big deal,” he shrugged. “I had one to spare, and he needed it. It wasn’t a heroic act to me—it just felt right.” His stepdad had also received a kidney, which kept him off dialysis. Kris had long understood the value of giving.
But being on the receiving end changed his perspective. “It’s humbling,” he said.
He knew he had to write to the donor family. He wanted them to know what their loved one’s gift had done. That in the middle of their grief, they made a decision that gave someone else light—literally. “They had every reason to focus inward, to protect themselves and their pain,” Kris said.
When asked what he appreciates most now, Kris doesn’t hesitate. “The little things,” he says. “Driving without fear. Reading without squinting. Seeing my wife’s face clearly. Watching the world wake up in the morning without that fog."
