Resource Page for Lions Eye bank
Give the Gift of Sight
AJ
CORNEA DONOR
Student, musician, beloved son, brother, and fiancé, AJ was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma, a rare cancer at age 24.
Despite a tremendous fight, he passed away in January 2009. AJ's cornea donations gave a cornea transplant patient new hope and furthered knowledge of eye diseases through research.
Growing up, AJ was familiar with the topics of donation and transplantation. His father, Brian, is a Minnesota Lions club member and a cornea recipient. Because generous cornea donors restored his dad's vision, AJ had made sure that "DONOR" was on his first driver's license. If he could help another person in any way through donation, he wanted to do it. His cancer prevented all but eye donation, but AJ knew how precious was the gift of sight. Full story
Brian
CORNEA TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT AND DONOR FATHER
Returning home from his first cornea transplant, Brian, now a 50-something sales engineer, could for the first time see well enough to notice handprints all along the hallway wall, where night after night he'd been groping his way to bed. "I told my wife, 'We have to paint these!' " Nearly 20 years later, he is helping other cornea recipients find their way through their equivalent of that dark hallway.
After a college English teacher asked why he squinted all the time, Brian sought out an eye doctor,
who diagnosed keratoconus, a degenerative condition that leaves corneas misshapen and scarred, distorting vision. Full story
Brian Salisbury, Chair
12432 99th Ave
Maple Grove, MN 55369
R: 763-493-3002
C: 763-442-0659
Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Inc.,
Is Now the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation
After several years of careful consideration, the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Inc., (the 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation that oversees the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank and also supports other vision initiatives at the University of Minnesota) has changed its name to the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation. The name change was approved at the annual meeting of the eye bank held Saturday, April 30, during the Multiple District 5M Convention in Mankato.
Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Inc., now Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation has expanded greatly since the establishment of the eye bank in 1960, and the foundation now supports the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Lions Children's Eye Clinic, research efforts at the Lions Re- search Building, the Lions Macular Degeneration Center, and the Fund to Prevent Blindness in Infants and Children. As the foundation has broadened its scope over the years, there was much between the work of Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Inc., and the programs and services offered by the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank proper.
Minnesota Lions Eye Bank will now refer to the workings of the eye bank proper. Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation will refer to the stewardship of the eye bank, as well as the fundrais- ing and promotion of the board projects, including the eye bank. In future, the Minnesota Li- ons Vision Foundation will do business as itself and as the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank.
