Lions Gift of Sight Today Newsletter:
A publication for our friends and partners
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Neurosciences
University of Minnesota
Spring-Summer 2023
© Copyright 2023 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 612-625-5159.
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 in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and North Dakota, 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year. LGS distributes corneas for transplant and eyes and corneas for research and medical education all over the world.
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, and 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.
Table of Contents
Lions Save Lives
Knowing that we are more successful if we work together, I have touched on partnerships in my column before. Today, I would like to address our longest-standing partners and champions: the Lions.
The winter Lions conventions and the accompanying Parades of Green are past, and we are grateful for the tremendous support shown for the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation and our eye bank. But I am asking for a different kind of support from you today: Please register to be an eye, organ, and tissue donor after your death. You can check the box on your driver's license or state identification card, complete a health care directive, or sign up on the national registry. By saying “yes” to donation, you could save or make better more than 75 lives.
Encouraged by Lions International President Brian Sheenan's exhortation to “think outside the box,” Lions Gift of Sight is launching a brand-new initiative with Minnesota’s Lions clubs to meet the need for more donors. With your help, we hope to register 20,000 new donors by June 30, 2024. Can we do it? YES, WE CAN!
I was fortunate to introduce this campaign at the District 5M-10 Lions Convention in Bemidji, and it was clear that the Lions were up for the challenge. How does it work? Lions Gift of Sight is just asking you to use your “loudest roar” to spread the word about the 2,300 Minnesotans waiting for a lifesaving transplant. We can help these people by registering more new donors on the donor registry. And Lions Clubs now have their very own donor registration page to track this campaign’s progress: https://registerme.org/campaign/lions.
Lions clubs can get involved with this community-based initiative by requesting a Lions Gift of Sight guest speaker to present at a meeting, fundraiser, service project, festival, etc. We would love to talk with community members about eye, organ, and tissue donation and the need for new registered donors. We will also have a toolkit with printed education cards, social media tools, and sample news releases that Lions clubs can order to support their local community donor registration efforts.
The Lions Save Lives campaign is a collaboration of Lions Gift of Sight, LifeSource, American Donor Services, and Donate Life America. These donations organizations are working together to improve the lives of those in need of transplants. You are a key partner.
Heads up: During the Lions International Convention in Boston, Lions Eye Banks will have a table in the Service Activities Booth, and Lions Eye Banks will have a 10-minute presentation at the Service Impact Seminar. If you are attending, please stop by and visit!
Thank you, Lions, for all that you do in your local communities to impact change and save lives.
Out and About
Sharing the Love on National Donor Day
It is no coincidence that Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day share a date and double the love we have for registered donors. This year, on February 14, some Lions Gift of Sight staff were on the University of Minnesota campus talking with students about becoming registered eye, organ, and tissue donors and others presented a donation webinar to hospice providers. It was a lovely day to talk about the importance of donation.
Spirit Week in Rochester
The City of Rochester, Minnesota, glowed a little brighter April 8 through 14 when colorful digital Donate Life billboards “lit up” the city. Billboards were displayed at the Rochester International Airport, on visitor TV monitors at Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center, and along a Rochester roadside. This education and awareness campaign promoted Donate Life Month and encouraged viewers to register as eye, organ, and tissue donors. The effort was a collaboration of Gift of Life Transplant House, Olmsted Medical Center, the Tim Rasmusson Foundation, Mayo Clinic, LifeSource, and Lions Gift of Sight.
Career & Networking Event
On January 13, Lions Gift of Sight participated in a Program of Mortuary Science networking event for University of Minnesota students, funeral homes, and donation partners. Students were given the opportunity to meet with prospective employers like Lions Gift of Sight, while organizations got to have great conversations with students and also with morticians, donation partners, Minnesota Funeral Directors Association leaders, and representatives from the University’s Mortuary Science Program. We look forward to the next networking opportunity.
“Make a Splash” for Donate Life Month
Celebrated in April each year, National Donate Life Month features an entire month of local, regional, and national activities to encourage Americans to register as donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation. Lions Gift of Sight honors eye donors at a Donate Life flag raising ceremony (see p. 7) and our at Donor Recognition Program on April 16. We will raise awareness by hosting education events with our partner LifeSource, participate in Blue & Green Day, and much, much more. Avoid FOMO this April by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
Lions District Conventions
“The convention room was brimming with enthusiasm and excitement about the future of eye banking and our partnership with the Lions,” said Lions Gift of Sight Executive Director Sean Poppoff who attended the Lions District 5M-10 Convention on January 22. Sean presented to Lions about our shared history and mission and the opportunities and life changing work on the horizon.
Communications Manager Jennifer Marshall visited the Lions District 5M-3 Convention on February 18. “I was asked to talk about the Lions used eyeglass program,” said Jennifer, “which I did. But I also packed in the other programs I am passionate about, especially Lions Gift of Sight!” The bait and switch was well received.
Many LGS staff participated in the Lions Convention of District 5M-5, the home district of the Minneapolis Ambassadors Lions Club to which about 20 staffers belong. We represent Lions Gift of Sight on all occasions!
We want to hear from you!
Are you hosting an event to promote eye, organ, and tissue donor registration? Then consider sharing your news with Lions Gift of Sight, so we can feature it in our newsletter and on our social media. Please submit your event with details to [email protected].
Eye Bank Association of America News & Updates
Scholarship Awarded
Lions Gift of Sight is excited to announce that Eye Bank Scientist Minhua Wu and Metro Recovery Supervisor Katie Miller were awarded Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarships for Technical Advancement in Eye Banking. The scholarship gives highly-motivated technicians from EBAA member eye banks the chance to attend the Technician Education Seminar.
Minhua has been with Lions Gift of Sight more than a dozen years. She has taken on ever more complex roles at the eye bank and is now an indispensable member of the tissue processing team. Katie is a relative newcomer who has quickly proven her value. Starting as a recovery technician, Katie now leads the busy metro team.
Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation Journal
The Eye Bank Association of America is proud to announce the inaugural issue of Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation (EBCT), successor to the International Journal of Eye Banking. The new publication partners the EBAA with Wolters Kluwer, one of the world’s foremost scientific journal publishers. EBCT extends the reach and impact of research on the issues most relevant to the eye banking profession while expanding the scope of discoveries eye bank professionals can share with each other. The International Journal of Eye Banking was started at Lions Gift of Sight!
Leadership Program
Sean Poppoff, Katie Miller, Patty Stockdale, Patrick Becker, and Jolie Schmidt spent three days at the Eye Bank Association of America’s Leadership Program in Kansas City, Missouri, March 1-3. More than 70 eye banking leaders from across the country attended, and the National WWI Memorial and Museum provided a thought-provoking backdrop for lessons in leadership and communication.
Team Spotlight:Recovery
There are many roles that contribute to the success of an eye bank. Some roles are highly visible to the outside world and others involve supporting coworkers and operations in countless hidden ways. While every one of these jobs are pivotal to our mission to save sight, in this issue we would like to give a special shout out to our eye tissue recovery technicians.
Lions Gift of Sight is fortunate to have four recovery teams taking care of the 87,000 square miles of Minnesota as well as parts of North Dakota and western Wisconsin. Based in the Metro, Duluth, Rochester, and Fargo/Moorhead areas, the teams work together to ensure people have the option of eye donation.
Recovery teams are on-call around the clock, standing ready to recover and preserve donated eye tissue shortly after a donor’s death. They work independently, and when dispatched, travel to the donor’s location, which may be a hospital room, morgue, medical examiner’s office, or funeral home. Once on site, technicians examine the donor for physical findings, such as abrasions, sores, or incisions and draw a sample of the donor’s blood for infectious disease screening. Technicians then perform the eye or cornea removal, a procedure that typically takes 60-90 minutes. The recovery is coordinated with organ recovery, tissue recovery, transportation, embalming, and cremation.
Technicians are known for their manual dexterity, precision, and compassion. They take particular care to honor the donor by being careful and efficient in their work, increasing the viability of the gift. The final step of their job is to hand deliver or ship the eye tissue back to our laboratory in Saint Paul.
All donated tissues are considered tremendous gifts to the corneal recipient, surgeon, or researcher who receives them, and recovery technicians are honored to be players in this important work.
Metro Area
Katie Miller is the supervisor of the Metro Recovery Team. This team, which is responsible for the largest percentage of our donors, covers 6,900 square miles of the greater metro area, and their territory includes our top referring agency, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Says Katie, “I am lucky to have such a resilient group of trustworthy, competent, and emotionally strong recovery technicians. We have a very challenging and unique job, and I am so grateful to be part of this team.”
The metro team handled 1,514 donors in 2022! These donors provided 1,068 corneas for transplant, and 1,800 tissue for research and medical education.
Rochester Area
This dynamic team is led by Nancy McGee, who has been with the eye bank for six years. When hiring staff, Nancy looks for people who have passion and compassion for the important work they perform. These traits Nancy shares, and you can hear Nancy talk about her calling to Lions Gift of Sight by searching for theheadwrapsocialite podcast, Finding One’s Vocation on Spotify.
The Rochester team covers approximately 19,000 square miles in southern Minnesota, and their territory includes the Mayo Clinic where 95% of their recoveries occur. In 2022 the team members made possible 169 corneal transplants. They also recovered 170 eye tissues for research, medical education, and training.
Duluth Area
The rock-solid Duluth team is led by Tina Olson, with Mary Swelstad handling training and Steven Veit taking care of inventory. They cover an area from Baudette to Brainerd and from Grand Rapids to Grantsburg. A Duluth tech might drive four hours to get to a facility, perform the eye tissue recovery, then drive four hours back, with a stop at a UPS, FedEx, or air courier location on the way.
Last year, the Duluth team facilitated 125 donors, yielding 119 corneal transplants and 112 tissues dedicated to research and medical education. Why do they do what they do?
Tina: “It’s amazing to play such a vital role in someone being able to see again.” Nick: “To push myself. Can I handle death and eyes?” Taylor: “We can learn from the dead, while actively respecting the gift they are giving.” Mary: “Gratifying to honor the donor’s wishes.” Steve: “If I can help someone, why not? I always knew I would volunteer in retirement.”
Fargo Area
The North Dakota team has four individuals taking care of far western Minnesota and North Dakota: Tracee, Aleida, Arlene, and Casey. In 2022, the team recovered tissue from 100 donors, making possible 109 transplants and advancing the work of 74 researchers or educators.
Serving As a District Governor
"What was I thinking?" is what the average district governor might say halfway through her term, which is right about now for me. Why did I think I could guide 37 clubs and lead the 1,282 members within these clubs to success? I have no good answer.
Fortunately, Lions International believes in empowering every member of its organization to become leaders. They have faith in you even when you have doubts.
One reason behind their confidence is the intense preparation they provide for your leadership year. I received specialized training as a 2nd Vice District Governor and more training as a 1st Vice District Governor. I attended regional and advanced Lions Leadership Institutes as well as several USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forums. I am working my way through Lions University. I have more than 30 talented individuals on my cabinet all helping me succeed. There is no lack of coaching and guidance for the position of District Governor!
A district governor is the chief administrative officer of a district. Throughout the world, there are 750 of us. My district, 5M-5, encompasses Hennepin County, but some districts are much broader in area.
What does a district governor do? Excellent question and one I have been working on for two and a half years. At heart, governors do everything they can to keep the organization strong so Lions can continue to serve those in need. To achieve this, governors set district goals that both align with Lions International objectives and also benefit the local community. Chief goal areas are leadership, membership, and service, the three legs of our stool.
A lovely bonus to the job is that every governor gets to choose a personal focus for the year, a personal priority. So I share my passion for the eye bank. Every club I visit gets to hear me tell of the miracles we facilitate through eye donation, and I use my Lions networking to raise awareness about our work and garner additional support. A win-win-win for me, Lions Gift of Sight and Lions International!
Jennifer Marshall is District Governor for 5M-5, serving through June 2023.
Mid-Winter Conventions
How crazy are Minnesotans? Just crazy enough to think that the middle of winter is the best time to hold a Lions convention! Neither rain nor sleet nor snow will keep a Lion from the unbeatable combination of food, fellowship, and fun that is a Mid-Winter Convention.
Our Multiple Lions District, made up of Minnesota, Manitoba, and Northwest Ontario, is divided into 12 distinct districts, each hosting a convention in the winter. Convention locations creep down as low as Fairmont, Minnesota, and soar has high as Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. All have the cold and snow in common. And celebration!
Making a Splash in Donate Life Month
In April, donation partners across Minnesota and throughout the United States honor the gift of donation and raise the Donate Life flag in celebration and gratitude. Why April? Every day is, of course, a “donate life” day but every April is National Donate Life Month, a campaign that unites eye banks and organ and tissue partners in raising awareness and educating the public while encouraging donor registration.
At Lions Gift of Sight, we, too, raised our Donate Life flag at our home office in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The ceremony recognized eye, organ, tissue, blood, and bone marrow donors, all of whom have saved or bettered the lives of other individuals, often strangers. By flying the Donate Life flag above our home, we raise awareness of these precious gifts that all of us have the potential to give and honor those who have already given. Thank you to friends and supporters who attended this special ceremony.
Thank you to our special flag raising guests: Sean Poppoff, Executive Director, LGS (emcee and kidney donor); Joshua Hou, MD, Medical Director, LGS (speaker); Kelly White, MSN, RN, CEO, LifeSource (speaker); Bevan Yueh, MD, MPH, CEO, UMPhysicians, and Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs, U of MN Medical School (speaker); Andrew Adams, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Transplantation, University of Minnesota (speaker); Angela McArthur, MPH, Director, University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program (speaker); Erik van Kuijk, MD, PhD, Chair, University of Minnesota Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences.
Register
Please consider joining the Donate Life interconnected life-sustaining community by:
- registering as an eye, organ, and tissue donor at https://registerme.org/campaign/lions;
- becoming educated about living donation; and
- championing the Donate Life cause.
Recipient Spotlight: Maria
We would like to introduce you to corneal transplant recipient Maria. Maria has keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition that thins corneas, leaving them misshapen and scarred. Keratoconus causes light sensitivity and vision distortion, and, untreated, it leads to blindness.
Fortunately, for patients with keratoconus, corneal transplants can restore sight. Keratoconus requires penetrating keratoplasty, one of the more invasive types of corneal transplants, but the results are miraculous.
At 83 years young, Maria refuses to slow down. Retired after 30 years with the Department of Treasury and 14 years with the Department of Public Safety, she is still very active, and her friends and family refer to her as the go-to person. Throughout her life Maria has enjoyed sports (both playing and as a spectator), volunteering, hunting, roller skating and blading, bowling, golf, dancing, board games, singing in her church choir, sewing, and crafts, to name a few hobbies. Corneal transplants mean she doesn’t have to give up anything she doesn’t want to. And Maria loves and lives life to the fullest! “Although not blessed with children,” says Maria, “I love kids, and I have traveled a lot in the states with my nieces and nephews, visiting places of history. I am a grateful recipient.”
Maria shares this message with everyone, and especially with those in her own Hispanic community. “It is so important for you to sign up as donors-we need you all.”
Check the Box
Maria has long been a friend of Lions Gift of Sight. When we were asked to put forward some recipients to participate in a donation registration campaign, Maria leapt to mind. Energetic, charismatic, kind, and helpful: we couldn’t pick a better individual to demonstrate the benefits of donation!
Since 2012, Minnesotans have had the option to contribute $2 to support education about eye, organ and tissue donation when applying for or renewing a driver’s license, state ID card, or motor vehicle registration. These donations fund You and $2, a program that has now has raised over $1.2 million. One use of funds was for the “Check the Box” campaign Maria took part in.
“Check the Box” put Maria and many other faces of donation on Billboards, web ads, wallet cards, the sides of buses, and more. With tag lines like “I can see you! Check the box,” “Use your 20/20 vision to check the box,” and “Check the box in the blink of any eye,” Maria compelled countless viewers to commit to donation. Thank you, Maria!