Sonjae Henderson- Cornea recipient
When I was 19 I was given the devastating news (whilst on a routine visit to my optometrist) that I had a condition called Keratoconus.
Keratoconus is where the cornea of the eye thins and becomes pointed like a rugby ball instead of being nice and round - this is turn distorts the sight.I had keratoconus in both eyes and was told there was a possibility that I could go blind if the condition continued to deteriorate. By the time I was 24 I had very little sight left in my right eye and with my left eye sight not great either it was beginning to affect my ability to work efficiently. By this time I also had a two year old daughter and the thought of not being able to 'see' her grow up was frightening.
The future was not looking at all bright.Then I was presented with what appeared to me to be a miracle in the form of a corneal transplant. I was scared but excited by the prospect of undergoing something so dramatic. I was lucky enough to have been the recipient of a cornea from a deceased donor and 10 years on I still have very good sight. Without this amazing gift I would have missed out on so much - I would not have trained to be a teacher, I would not have seen my daughter grow into a beautiful young lady and I would not have met and married my wonderful husband.
My family has been blessed twice by the amazing gift of organ donors. My husband, only just last year was the recipient of a kidney donated by our wonderful friend. Both of us are adamant that organ donation is such an important issue that often becomes neglected inthe hustle and bustle of busy life. Please take that step of talking to your family about donating organs after death or better still be a living angel like our friend Karen who donated a kidney to my husband.
Sonjae Henderson, Jan 2009
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