The loss of my son has been difficult for us. Lance had cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, cortical blindness and supersonic hearing from birth. With a lifetime of support from others, Lance led a full life – he was an accomplished flirt, a person of faith and filled with joy. Lance received recognition for his work at the Art Center, worked as a greeter at the Bistro and the Ballroom Dancing Class. Although he never walked, Lance did decide to verbalize at around age 35, in appropriate and complete sentences! After several hospitalizations last year, Lance’s body continued to shut down. Indicating his choice that it was time to let go, he passed away very peacefully with his family present.

June 8th is Lance’s birthday; he would have been 43 years old. Although Lance was a resident in a living center after aging out of the public education system, I spoke with him by phone daily, visited weekly and he came home monthly and all holidays. Our home had a hospital bed and a patient lift; we also had a ‘good times van’ with a wheelchair lift. We made a lifelong effort to provide a balance of how to live, work and play in his world.

Remembering those “perfect days” and finding joy

Lance enjoyed “home visits’ with breakfast in bed (custom scrambled eggs, a biscuit with gravy, serious chocolate milk). He enjoyed relaxing listening to his simple FM radio for hours. His older brother Scott, who he adored, would drop by the house (mom was kicked out of Lance’s room and they would have a nice visit), and perhaps go out for a ride in the ‘good times van’ – jokingly announcing they were going “crusin’ for chicks.”

At the living center, I would come and pick up Lance for the day and we would go out to lunch. Mexican food at Los Cucos and a piece of cheesecake to go for an after-dinner snack, or grilled fish and a ‘loaded’ baked sweet potato at KBob’s and a piece of cheesecake or chocolate pie to go for an after-dinner snack.

Then, we would go to the movies nearby! They knew our order by heart: pack of plain M&Ms and a small Sprite, easy on the ice. After we were seated, ‘created our nest’ (with his favorite lap quilt, soft travel pillow, and a festive bendable straw for the Sprite), mom’s job was to feed Lance one M&M at a time as he requested “more.” Sometimes, we would switch to Junior Mints to add a little variety. Lance’s eyes would sparkle with delight at the surprisingly new flavor and texture!

Following the movie, we would go for a drive in his ‘good times van,’ listening to favorite Johnny Cash or Elvis tunes. Lance would spontaneously start to sing so loudly, passionately, and then break into laughter at himself.

When Lance’s brother, Scott, would join our leisurely drives, from time to time I would want to go into a place to pick up items. These two guys would wait for me, the mom, in the van. However, when I came out of a store or restaurant, I could not find them!  Scott would drive around the side of a building or pick a distant spot in the parking lot and wait for me to exit the store or restaurant, standing there bewildered… and then drive up to get me. Lance would be laughing like crazy for what seemed like forever at their silly pranks. They were indeed ‘partners in crime’ for life, so to speak.

Please know that Lance’s brother, Scott, and I formally toasted both Lance and his recipient of the successful corneas transplanted at our Thanksgiving meal – giving thanks for the miracle of the new gift of sight. This honor, this toast is now our first new annual Thanksgiving tradition. 💘 Lance’s corneal transplant would not have been possible without the initiative of the remarkable medical team at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Brenham.

“Lance’s Mom” was my identity/job for 42 years; reinvented now simply as “Momma McKinney.” I remain a volunteer and a weekly reader to Lance’s roommates and friends at his living center.

Peace be with you –

Wish you a smile,

Nancy Beth McKinney

Richard “Rick” Robinson Richardson, Jr.

03-31-1949  to  04-15-2022

Rick would be so very pleased that his corneas gave the gift of sight to someone in need.  He was a loving husband, very proud father of two sons, both of whom served in the military. He belonged to the Masonic Lodge and served several years as a Shriner clown.  He was truly a people person who never met a stranger.

– Darlene “Dolly” Richardson, Widow of Rick Richardson

David wanted to help others. He exemplified the life of servant leadership and devotion to Jesus. His favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 6:8. His legacy was based on his love for The Lord. A Coast Guard Academy graduate and a deck officer in the Merchant Marine for 21 years, David helped others with his service through disaster relief with Samaritan’s Purse and as chaplain with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. He also served as a chaplain with the Emergency chaplains of Durham, NC. David spent the last 5 months of his life working with the Spartanburg Opportunity Center, a homeless shelter in SC as well as helping with his church.

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My name is Demetria Jackson. I am the daughter of Tyese Jackson Miller. I wanted to just share a little about my mother. My mom was SC State Mentor for more than 20 years, she was also an arbitrator for the state of South Carolina. She was also a chaplain and volunteered at DDJ for years. She worked with children at all stages in their life rather they were considered hopeless. She never believed in bad kids, just bad choices. My mom had three kids My brother Billy Demacrius Jackson he lived to be 19 years old before his life was cut short do to gun violence. This only made my mom’s passion for her community grow and made her more dedicated to reach more youth. There is my brother Edward Jackson and myself. She was an amazing grandmother or nana as they loved her, Mickey Jackson, Dashawn Brown, Diamond Brown ,Edward Jackson Jr , Saperia Jackson and the youngest who was 4 years old at her passing Elijah Jackson. She was a Christian an Evangelist she loved God ,her family and her community. I could say so much about the woman she was and the legacy she left behind. As her only daughter I desire to simply live on and support the legacy . She was a wife, a devoted sister and honorable loving friend. Read More

Francisco “Paco” Rodriguez was a special man to everyone he encountered. Exemplifying what it meant to live life to the fullest, he loved everyone with abundance and always treated everyone with respect.

Paco lived a full life. Born-and-raised in a small town of Mezquital in Mexico, he was a true cowboy at heart. When my parents decided they wanted to start their lives in the United States, my dad never let his language barrier dismay him from the pursuit of his “American Dream”.

With his grit and determination he became a U.S. Citizen, put all three of his children through college, successfully started and operated his own small business, and even started his life-long dream of building his “retirement” home in his hometown of Mezquital.

Throughout his 58 years of life, he was able to see many parts of the world with his business. Owning and operating a dental lab that fabricated dental prosthesis, my dad held a certain passion for seeing others smile with confidence. A particular aspect of his life that was dear to him was joining mission trips across different continents and providing dental care to the underserved. It brought him such joy and I can honestly say, I never saw his eyes sparkle in quite the same way as when he was able to give someone else a new smile.

All in all though, despite a plethora of options, I think he considered his greatest accomplishment as being adored and cherished by his wife, two daughters, and son.

Holding the honor of being his eldest daughter, I never pass a chance to sing his praises. Beyond his genuine joy for life, my dad loved deeply and earnestly, listened attentively, and always gave more than he received. Thus, as sorrowful as his untimely passing was, my dad being an organ, tissue and eye donor was never a shock. During our time of great grief, it gave our family such pride to know that even in his absence, he was still able to share apart of himself with others in need.

As much good as he did during his life, he continues do good even beyond. My family and I are so thankful to Miracles In Sight in helping my dad fulfill another one of his dreams. To the recipients of his corneas, I hope you see the world as my dad saw it- full of love, color and hope.

-Anna Rodriguez Carter, Daughter of donor Francisco J. Rodriguez

“I was the blessed recipient of cornea tissue that changed my life unlike anything previous or ever will. I now see the world through more grateful eyes and it shall never be looked at the same again.” – Shelly Cleek, Corneal Tissue Recipient

It is always a beautiful thing to hear a recipient’s story after regaining their sight. Thank you, Shelly, for your kind words and heart for your donor family.