My mum made me realise how important the gift of sight is
2nd November 2022
Emma Brown is one of our Healthcare Assistants and is a passionate advocate of our corneal donation programme at the Hospice. She tells us how people donating their corneas after their death make such a difference to people who have lost their sight.
Today is my day off and like most, they begin with taking the kids to school, cleaning the kitchen, walking the dog, and then collecting the kids at various times and having a meal together in the evening.
While I sit across the table from my family, my reflection is not why I didn’t do anything more exciting during my day off or use the time more productively, but that I could see my husband, children and our dog. The gift of sight is something that like others, we take for granted each and every day.
My mum lost her sight shortly after giving birth to me. She was diagnosed with MS, initially suffering with tunnel vision before she lost her sight completely while raising me as a baby. She passed away when I was in my teens.
When I was asked, I jumped at the chance of being involved with corneal donations. Living with my mum made me realise how important the gift of sight really is, and how much people can benefit from each donation.
There is a shortage of donated corneas in the UK, which must be retrieved up to 24 hours after death. Our corneal donation programme makes us one of the most active hospices in the UK routinely having discussions about tissue donation with our patients.
Donate your corneas
Your corneas are the transparent front part of the eye that covers your iris and pupil. A donation from each eye could benefit up to 5 people.
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