My sister loved music and enjoyed sunny beach days-so it is only fitting to sing: “I can see clearly now…the rain is gone…it is going to be a bright sun shiny day.” Johnny Nash.

As her life came to an end after a year long of chemo treatments the sun was shining through by the Miracles In Sight. I was thrilled and proud of my sister Allison Wiltse for making a decision on her drivers’s license to be a donor. So, at the moment of darkness came a blue sky knowing the she will help another human being.

The donation process made me feel so happy that Allison could make a big impact on another person’s life. She always responded and reached out to people in need by giving to various organizations. Allison did this whole heartedly even as she had very little money.

Allison Wiltse worked hard, adored her dogs, and cooking.  She was often building her own recipes and  hosting Sunday night dinners.  Allison spoiled her dogs by buying treats even though she had no income. The dogs were companions to the bitter end of her life by hovering over her as she was in pain from the cancer.

So, Allison can make it now the pain is gone.  Look around nothing but blue sky!  Allison’s donation has made it so somebody else can look around…and it will be a bright sun shiny day because she made the donation to Miracles In Sight.

Rose passed away on December 5, 2023, at the age of 45. Rose was very vibrant and filled the room with her big smile and laughter. Rose was a loving, trusting, and a giving person who was always ready to give you a big hug.

Rose’s favorite role in life was being a “Boy Mom”. A mother to six wonderful, sweet boys from 4 to 26 years. Rose loved her boys, her life, and her job in the justice system. Rose was devoted to her Catholic faith and lead others to Christ.

Rose was the youngest of six siblings. She had a big family and many friends who loved her and her boys. She invested in people and took the time to know them, love them and pray for them.

She worked hard for many years and was so happy when she purchased her own home a few years ago.

Rose lived life to the fullest and always looked for the good in people.

She is deeply missed by her boys, her mother, siblings and many other friends and family.

Barry and I were each other’s first loved going back to 7th grade.  God saw fit to finally reunite us about 3 years ago. He told everyone we were a fairytale. Barry had a beautiful heart. He was also a talented artist and musician. I felt loved every day. And I miss him so much.

I am grateful for the gift of sight and for individuals making the decision to donate life. My vision has been corrected with glasses since the age of 5. While a senior in nursing school I began to have headaches and a decrease in visual acuity that could that required special lenses in my glasses to correct my vision. My optometrist diagnosed me with Keratoconus, a disease that causes the cornea to become cone-shaped. After graduating from nursing school and 2 years into my career I began to have problems reading normal handwriting, increase in headaches and problems while driving.

My doctor referred me to an ophthalmologist who informed me I had to be placed on a waiting list for a cornea. Thankfully that wait was short lived. In less than a week and the day before Thanksgiving I received my first cornea. An officer that was killed in the line of duty was a donor and a year younger than myself. I will never be able to thank his family enough for honoring his wishes. Five years later I had to receive my second transplant due the disease progression in my non-transplanted cornea.  I was able to schedule surgery due to the increase in the number of donors. This all began 23 years ago and my corneas are great and my vision is corrected with glasses. Without the “gift” from donors I would not have been able to fulfill my life time dream of being a nurse. Thanks to all the donors and for their families making sure their wishes are fulfilled.

Jerome Wheeler, MIS Surgical Recovery Specialist, has quite a connection to eye donation and corneal transplantation. Jerome’s daily work is recovering corneal tissue needed for transplant. The gift of sight was, and continues to be a very personal journey for Jerome and his family.

“In 1999, Dr. Terry Kim, Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke University Eye Center told my wife and I that our son, Shane, would be the youngest patient to receive corneal transplant surgery…at 6 days old, Shane’s vision was saved.”

Now, seventeen years later, Shane’s transplant has lasted longer than 90% of patients at Duke University Eye Center! The entire Wheeler family, especially Shane, is looking forward to continued success with this very special gift.

“I am grateful and honored to be part of the system that saved my son’s vision. And I truly believe that my continued service here has a Spiritual impact on the great success/progress my son has experienced.”

Jerome Wheeler

Dear Donor Family,

My name is Caroline and I am the 52-year-old recipient of your loved one’s cornea. I am writing to thank you for your family member’s gift of not only my sight, but also the light that carries my hopes and dreams. Without this incredible gift I would not be capable of composing this letter today.

Before my transplant, I had been slowly losing my eyesight for several years. My vision loss was caused by an autoimmune disorder that went undiagnosed for over two decades. I was in a great deal of pain every day and had lost almost all my independence. One day I left the house not realizing I had put my clothes on inside out! I was constantly running into things, I had no depth perception and excruciating photophobia. Trying to see the world was like looking through a shattered piece of glass. I was no longer able to work or travel, cook, or even play or read books with my grandchildren. My heart was just broken when on my 50^th birthday the doctors told me there was nothing else they could do for me…they said exactly these words…”Maybe someday in your lifetime.”

Almost two years have passed since that diagnosis and today, because of the gift I received, I was able to see my granddaughter for the first time…I mean really see her. My journey has taken me across the country several times and I am at last able to live on my own and read and write (just a little slower). I can take walks by myself and I can bake a magical chocolate cake!

I am having trouble trying to express my overwhelming gratitude, yet keeping in mind the grief that you must still be experiencing. When my Dad passed, I was completely inconsolable, so I want to share a story (true story) with you in hopes that my message of gratitude will be more clear.

“You call me out upon the waters. Your faithful hand will be my guide.”

I was told before the transplant that I would have to wait for my autoimmune disorder to be in “remission” (for lack of a better word) for at least a year before they would consider me as a candidate. As with all autoimmune disorders “remission” is, for me anyway, just another way to say…have your mind, body and heart all on one page. So I moved 2000 miles…to the Atlantic Ocean. I worked on myself and I waited…I even called my place “The Waiting Place.” As I was there off-season, the beach was completely empty…no tourists, just blue skies and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I felt “safe” walking on the beach although I could not see…occasionally I would walk through fishing lines or a sandcastle without realizing. And it never failed that when I did venture out I would run into that young couple that would ask me to take their picture and I would have to sadly decline. In December, a little over two months post-transplant, I took a walk on the beach. To be completely honest, at that time I was out of eye pain for the first time in over twenty years, however my sight was still much distorted and I was questioning whether or not I had done the right thing. The doctors had all said it was a high risk and that I could lose the eye if the graft was not successful. On that day in December, with NO ONE within miles of me…I walked upon the following message written in the sand.

“You call me out upon the waters. Your faithful hand will be my guide”

One week later, my vision in the operative eye was 20/40.

THANK YOU ALL for this incredible life gift. Because of your compassion… I am a “walking miracle” and my daughter and grandbabies have their “Baba” back.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,

Caroline