Lions Gift of Sight Today Newsletter:
A publication for our friends and partners
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Neurosciences
University of Minnesota
Fall 2020
© Copyright 2020 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Lions Gift of Sight TODAY is published twice a year by the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Lions Gift of Sight
1000 Westgate Drive - Ste 260
Saint Paul, MN 55114
For more information, visit LionsGiftofSight.UMN.edu or call 1-866-887-4448
Table of Contents
Every Donation Matters: A message from Executive Director Sean Poppoff
Lions Gift of Sight operates on the strong belief that every donation matters. A donation for transplant profoundly affects the lives of one person. A donation for research can affect the care of eye patients in all generations to come. When the phone rings with a donation referral, we can only guess the impact a particular donation will have.
We recently coordinated a donation that shows how deeply ingrained the “every donation matters” philosophy is in our staff. The donation took extra effort from all persons involved (including external partners), and I would like to tell you about it.
During a donor screening our Donor Eligibility Manager, Kody, identified an ocular condition caused by mutations in the genetic composition of the mitochondria (the powerhouse of living cells) in a would-be transplant donor. Since this condition ruled out the donor for transplant, Kody immediately alerted Ching, our Director of Research and Development, who confirmed the patient’s rare condition of Mitochondria Encephalopathy Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke (or MELAS). Ching contacted Dr. Robert Mullins at the University of Iowa whose research on retinal degeneration and rare genetic eye diseases could benefit. Dr. Mullins very much wanted to receive these donor eyes.
This particular donor was in the care of the Mayo Clinic Office of Decedent Affairs, whose personnel were instrumental in helping make the donation possible. Initially an autopsy was scheduled to occur before eye donation, but this delay in recovery would render the eye tissues unusable for the researcher. After our coordination team compellingly explained the difficulty, the day’s autopsy list was graciously rearranged to accommodate the eye donation.
Rochester Recovery Technician Nancy performed the eye enucleations at 6:30 in the evening and drove 1 ½ hours to the eye bank to deliver the eyes. Waiting for her was Research Scientist Sung who came in after hours to draw the vitreous (an essential autopsy component) from the eyes. While Nancy made the 90-minute return trip to Rochester with the vitreous specimens for the medical examiner, Sung processed the tissues to Dr. Mullins’ specifications and prepared the shipment for his lab. The eye donation was in Iowa the following day.
Without my amazing staff members working together and the collaboration of the Mayo Clinic, this donation and contribution to medical research would not have been possible. While it is only a single donation among the thousands we coordinate every year, this donation was extremely significant to the 1 in 4,000 people suffering from mitochondrial disease, the doctors who treat them, and the scientists seeking a cure. Every donation matters.
Veronique Grimes Retires from Eye Banking
September was a bittersweet time for Lions Gift of Sight as our lab operations manager, Veronique Grimes, CEBT, COMT, took a well-deserved retirement. A titan in the eye banking profession who poured her heart and soul into sight preservation, Veronique was a treasured team member of Lions Gift of Sight for 32 years.
But it was only chance that led Veronique to us. After receiving a B.A. in biology, she intended to make this field her life’s work. But, needing to fund her graduate work in biochemistry, Veronique took a job as a technician in an ophthalmology operating suite. She promptly fell in love with the medical profession, especially the work of caring for eyes, and never looked back.
Veronique became a certified ophthalmic medical technologist (COMT), working with some of the leading Minnesota ophthalmologists of the time. She also began volunteering for the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank (now Lions Gift of Sight), which was down the hall from her day job. She was trained as an enucleator and began recovering donor eyes almost every weekend. Never one to do things by halves, Veronique continued as an eye recovery technician for 17 years, enucleating more than 1,500 eyes!
Wherever Veronique lands, she is valued for her talents and dedication. She became recovery technician supervisor. She started donor coordination and devoted 16 years to the work. However, her skills at tissue processing and tissue evaluation were second to none, and she was promoted to lab manager and led the technical staff for her remaining years at Lions Gift of Sight.
Eye banking is anything but simple. Veronique knows every detail of the craft and has led our eye bank through:
- changes from enucleation (whole eye) to insitu (cornea only) recovery;
- changes from full thickness corneal transplants to transplants of cornea layers;
- changes from sending unprocessed corneas to surgeons to sending corneas stamped, cut, peeled, preloaded into an inserter, scored, etc.;
- changes from little to great regulation;
- changes from cooperation to competition.
Veronique’s steadfast focus on safety and quality of human tissue intended for transplant and her consistency and dedication to her craft have made the eye banking profession what it is today. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and Veronique Grimes is one of those individuals who has given us a herculean leg up.
Lions: Kindness and Diversity
Lions Clubs International President Dr. Jung-Yul Choi has chosen kindness and diversity as his theme for the 2020-2021 Lions’ year. Wise words from the leader of this service organization:
“The world is facing many challenges. Natural disasters, famine and disease. Conflict, prejudice and greed. The unfortunate reality is that there will always be difficulties for us as global citizens to overcome. Yet, history has also shown the potential for creative and peaceful solutions to these problems, a path to a more harmonious existence. While the problems may seem insurmountable when faced alone, we can all take comfort in our strength, our nearly 1.4 million Lions, and our incredible ability to engineer solutions. Love. Compassion. Inclusion. Connection. Only through a diverse group of perspectives, including people of all backgrounds and all places, can we realize our full potential as Lions and serve the diverse needs of our communities, and the world. There’s a reason we’ve each chosen to be a part of Lions Clubs International. It’s because we value the insight, the beliefs and the heart of others, and we realize the greater good that can only be achieved when we join together as one.”
November Is…
November is a time to reflect on our blessings and give thanks for each and every one. In addition, we have many partners to salute and so much to celebrate!
Hospice and Palliative Care Month
- Did you know that hospice patients can be donors?
- Did you know that our upper age to donate for transplant is 80?
- Did you know that there is no upper age to donate for research?
- Did you know that many types of cancer do not prevent someone from donating their eyes?
LGS is a long-time member and supporter of the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care. Please indicate your donation wishes in your health care directive and tell your family.
Veterans Day
November 11 is Veterans Day when we honor persons who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, remember the men and women who kept and keep us safe. And please see our donor highlight on Ensign Clyde Ramsden.
Eye Donation Month
See page 6. Let’s Celebrate!
Olmsted Medical Center
Olmsted Medical Center has been southeastern Minnesota’s hometown medical provider since 1969. Last year, Lions Gift of Sight identified OMC as an Eye Donation Champion, recognizing that they have one of the most robust donation committees in the state. Their commitment to making donation education and outreach a matter of public health and wellness is an example for all. We had the good fortune to interview OMC’s Erica Hansen and Tricia Schilling, to find out more about their Donation, Advance Care Planning, Palliative Care and Patient Rights committee and their secrets to success.
Tell us about Team DAPP and how it has evolved to meet patient and community needs.
Tricia: The committee started out as the Donate Life Team. It was multidisciplinary and highly supported by OMC leadership. We noticed that a lot of the people that were on the donate life team were also members of the advance care planning team and the patient rights team. We wanted to have everyone come together, and that’s when Team DAPP was organized.
One really neat thing is our community initiative for advance care plans. We have added an organ, tissue, and eye donation FAQ piece to our information packets, so people have the facts they need before completing their healthcare directives. This enables us to reach even more patients.
Erica: Our work reaches beyond our patient base. We have taken our messaging out into the community and provide outreach by walking in parades, attending Canadian Honkers games, and providing assistance with advance care planning.
Lions Gift of Sight views OMC as a donation champion. What would you like to tell people about OMC?
Tricia: What makes OMC special is our multidisciplinary approach to donation. It’s not just the nursing department that is placing importance on donation education and awareness. Many departments are represented on Team DAPP. We have a dietitian, a clinical nurse manager, social workers, and members from the business office, general surgery, medical records, and others. We have a team of passionate players from every discipline in a healthcare setting involved in donation education and awareness at OMC.
Erica: Leadership at OMC is very supportive of our efforts toward organ, tissue, and eye donation, whether it’s with a patient, hospital event, community event, or staff education. I think that’s something not all organizations have.
How do you make sure that donation information reaches OMC staff?
Erica: I work with our marketing staff to send out “Did You Know” items every Friday. We also have an electronic banner that scrolls messaging to our staff and use this to highlight donation education and awareness throughout the year.
Your staff seems very committed to eye donation and to donation in general. What do you attribute that to?
Tricia: Some team members have personal stories in donation or know someone who has. These personal connections are a huge component. We also encourage committee members to attend the Spark Conference. Staff members who attend become very passionate about donation and ask how they can support our committee’s work.
Can you tell us more about your advance care planning initiative?
Tricia: Our biggest success with advance care planning involves ongoing education. We share information on donation and advance directives in conjunction with events like blood drives. We drafted an abbreviated, easy to use advance directive, since the advance directive document can be overwhelming for many people. These efforts have resulted in thousands of healthcare directives completed and on file at OMC over the past few years.
Eye Bank Association of America: Safety First, Innovation Always
The Eye Bank Association of America has launched a campaign to educate corneal surgeons about the EBAA’s accreditation program and the value of working with accredited eye banks. EBAA accreditation ensures safe, quality tissue for the best patient outcomes.
Established in 1961, EBAA Accreditation is the gold standard for eye banking. Recognized by the FDA, CDC and other federal agencies, the accreditation program ensures consistently safe, quality ocular tissue by confirming that EBAA Medical Standards (endorsed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology) are consistently followed by all eye bank staff. Trust your tissue needs to an EBAA-accredited eye bank.
Let’s Look at the Facts
60 Years
60-year legacy of providing high-quality, innovative service
2 Million
2 million corneal transplants facilitated since 1961, restoring the gift of sight
Rigorous Accreditation Process
EBAA’s accreditation process draws on the knowledge of experienced surgeons and professional eye bankers
Medical Standards
EBAA’s medical standards are recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology
Lions Gift of Sight is EBAA accredited.
Eye Donation Month: November 2020
Eye Donation Month is an annual event to raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation. It commemorates the selfless individuals who donated the gift of sight to others and the recipients whose lives have been transformed thanks to this generosity.
This November we celebrate “A Community of Compassion.” This compassionate community consists of many people working together in various roles and driven by a collective passion to restore sight.
During November, please share the Community of Compassion message and encourage family, friends, and coworkers to register as eye donors.
Helpful Links
Fast Facts (PDF)
Separating Myth from Fact (PDF)
The Cornea: Donor to Recipient (PDF)
Eye Donation Month Video (video)
Employee Spotlight: Chris, Eye Bank Scientist
The Eye Bank Association of America, realizing that there are no better ambassadors for eye banking than eye bankers themselves, asked that employees of member eye banks share why they do what they do! These stories help spread the word about eye and cornea donation and the importance of registering as a donor.
Many Lions Gift of Sight employees submitted stories to the EBAA, and the sentiments expressed were gratifying. Below are some thoughts from Chris, and to the right are quotes from some of our other awesome eye bankers.
“During my studies in the Mortuary Science Program at the University of Minnesota, I was lucky enough to learn from the greatest teachers of all - whole body donors. I am extremely grateful to those who selflessly donate after death. So much so that I decided to focus on donation instead of funeral services. Following graduation, I found a job at Lions Gift of Sight (then Minnesota Lions Eye Bank). That job turned into a career as I’m now in my 11th year! My tenure at LGS is a testament to the satisfaction I derive from playing a daily vital role in the restoration of sight and the joys of working for a non-profit with a strong, important mission. Happy Eye Donation Month! Recycle Yourself!”
Chris LaGassie first joined the eye bank as a donor coordinator, part of the team that receives donation referral calls, screens potential donors, speaks with donor family members, and coordinates eye donation. He swiftly worked his way up to team lead, a position he held for several years. Then, in 2019, Chris assumed a new role at the eye bank: eye bank scientist. Eye bank scientists take over where donor coordinators leave off. They prepare eye tissue for the many types of corneal transplants that now exist and need good eyes, steady hands, and incredible dexterity.
Chris grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and bleeds green and gold. He is a concert junkie, so going to a live show will be the first thing he does when the pandemic is over.
Other LGS Employee Quotes
Kari, Donor Coordinator
“As a donor coordinator I get to speak with families and give them the opportunity to turn grief into something more positive. Often families will tell me how kind and generous their loved ones were, and they take comfort in knowing that even after death they continue to give through the gift of sight.”
Amber, Quality Systems Coordinator
“My mother, and others affected by blindness, are why I am proud to work for Lions Gift of Sight.”
Kody, Donor Eligibility Manager
“I’m happy to work in an organization that is committed to quality, innovation, responsibility, and service to our recipients and donor families. In addition, I feel lucky to work with a team that shows these qualities on an individual level.”
Lori, Eye Bank Scientist
“I came to the eye bank 16 years ago and fell in love with the full-circle effect donation offers grieving families and recipients in need. As we navigate the road ahead of us, one thing I know for sure amidst so much uncertainty is that I am proud to be part of such a wonderful team doing such wonderful work.”
Donor Spotlight: Clyde Ramsden
Clyde Ramsden was a generous man with a great sense of humor and a great sense of adventure. He had a knack for drawing interesting and worthwhile friends to him, friends who shared his interest in travel, card games, hunting, and fishing. He valued spending time with his wife, Fran, and his children and grandchildren and still found time to be an entrepreneur and the owner of a trucking company.
Clyde served in the Navy during WWII and studied hard to become top ten in his class as a naval pilot. Comfortable in the air, he negotiated night flights in a time when the stars were your GPS. Clyde was stationed in Japan as a patrol bomber flying the Asian arena, only once talking about the destruction he saw at Hiroshima. We salute him and all veterans during November, a month of remembrance.
Clyde was a longtime member of the Annandale, Minnesota, Lions club. His life of service as a Lion did not stop with his passing. Clyde donated his eyes to Lions Gift of Sight and his body to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program. Both gifts are benefiting the medical community through research and education. His eyes are helping scientists develop treatments for retinal diseases like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. His body is advancing high quality education for future health professionals. As a research donor, Clyde has impacted and will continue to impact countless lives.
Recipient Spotlight: Deanne
Deanne was not yet 50 when her ophthalmologist delivered the news that she had Fuchs’ dystrophy, a progressive eye disease that affects the delicate inner layers of the cornea. With Fuchs’, the corneas become swollen. Painful blisters can form on the eye’s surface. Light sensitivity increases, and vision is distorted. Fortunately, there is a treatment: corneal transplants.
Because of inflammation from a bout with West Nile virus, Deanne’s vision deteriorated much more quickly than expected. She was unable to read, participate in her book club, cross stitch, or see the colors with the vibrancy she used to. Within one year of diagnosis, Deanne was a candidate for corneal transplants and received them six months apart. Her vision was restored, and Deanne has this to say:
“I cannot tell you how blessed I am to have the support of my family and friends throughout this process. Blessed for the medical staff that has the talent and knowledge to make the transplants successful. Blessed for an organization such as Lions Gift of Sight who assisted with getting donations. BLESSED for the donors and the donor families who cared and shared their precious gifts.”
About Lions Gift of Sight
Lions Gift of Sight (LGS) is a community-based non-profit eye bank. Founded in 1960, it is the oldest donation organization in Minnesota. LGS serves the needs of donors and recipients in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and North Dakota, as well as Galveston, Texas, 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year. LGS distributes corneas for transplant and eyes and corneas for research and medical education.
With a stringent eye bank quality assurance program that audits all aspects of operations, LGS upholds the highest tissue quality standards. LGS is accredited by the Eye Bank Association of America, inspected by the Food and Drug Administration, follows OSHA and University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research guidelines. LGS is a proud part of the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.